Lea's Wonderful Life

Pictures

2010-11-17T18:48:00.001-08:00

More Pictures

2010-10-19T19:41:00.001-07:00

2 Year Post Placement Report

2010-10-19T19:29:00.000-07:00

We just had our 2 year post placement report. We love visiting with our LSW Lori. I never can get a word in though. The kids love to entertain her. So I have been really awful at posting but here are some pictures..

Long Time- no post!

2010-09-21T18:02:00.000-07:00

I Can't believe it has almost been a year since I last posted. We have had a good but challenging year. Lynlea is getting married in 4 more days to a really wonderful guy. He is an airplane mechanic for a major airline. He adores her and she adores him, so that is what's most important. Chance is homeschooling this year-after being beat up really badly at school last year. He missed almost a week of school. I did not press charges, though now I really think I should have. I think that this has changed his life forever. Drew is in the 4th grade and reading like crazy. He read the entire Harry Potter series last year and most of the Hardy Boys series and is now ready the Percy Jackson and the Olympians book series and loves it. Nicholas is doing great! He is a big boy now. He started kindergarten and loves it. The boys have been going to their dad's house less and are getting to go to church more often!
I am working three jobs- my full time day time job, transciption for one of our therapists and cleaning an office 2 days per week. So, I have been really busy. My ex lost his job, so very little child support is coming in. We lost our Sheltie Tiger last week. He had started having really bad seizures and had gone into a coma and at 16 years the vet felt he would never come out of it. I really miss him, he followed me everywhere. The wedding is this Saturday and I promise to post some pictures and started blogging again. I felt like "big brother" was stalking me-long story. Must get back to typing.

First Nine Weeks and One Year Post Placement

2009-10-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

Everyone got their first 9 weeks report cards. Lynlea has straight A's for her first 9 weeks in college! Chance had 5 A's, One B and One C. Drew had straight A's and Nicholas is doing great in school.
Lori, my social worker, and I met last week for our one year post placement report.
Nicholas is now wearing 2T from wearing an 18 months size when he came home and has gained 10 pounds. His English is great! Here are a few cute pictures of the boys.

update-

2009-09-07T11:23:00.000-07:00

School has begun here in Arkansas. Nicholas is having a great start to a new year. He is going 4 days a week 8-3. Mondays he spends with my parents-he loves this.
Chance started 6th grade- shirts have to be tucked in and belts worn each day. So far, he is doing ok. He is back on his ADHD meds- a patch this time. It is working really well as he hates swallowing pills. His handwriting is a huge problem. He is not doing well in Math, because of this. I am trying to help him. Drew likes his new teachers. He is in the gifted and talented program at school. I am so very proud of my little Aspergian. He is so smart. I got his Stanford acheivement test scores. He only missed 2 problems in Math and 4 in reading on the entire test! Sadly, he came to me the other evenging and told me that no one would play with him at school. I wanted to cry. At home, he and Chance have a few mutual friends that come and play at our house. He said they don't even want to play with him. I hugged him and told him to remember he always has Me. Don't know how much of a consolation that was.
Lynlea started school at the local Community college and she is doing great so far. She is working 40 hours per week and going to school 9 hours per week.
As for me, I went and registered for school and then found out I did not qualify for a pell grant, because I already had a degree. Also, the local community college does not participate in the federal student loan program. So, I withdrew. Still working at my same job-praying for a financial miracle.

Profound words....

2009-07-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

What a profound short little paragraph
"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."
~~~~ Dr. Adrian Rogers
Ironically Dr. Rogers died in 2005 yet these words seem to describe our country today. He was the minister at Bellvue Baptist Church-one of the largest Churches in Memphis, TN

Hot Summer!

2009-07-25T10:35:00.000-07:00

If I didn't mention before, I gave up our home phone and internet to save money. It is really killing me not having the internet at home. Our A/c has been out the past three weekends. I have had it repaired twice already and it went out late Thursday night and I haven't been able to get the repairman back out. So, we are staying with my parents for the weekend.

We have had a pretty uneventful summer, as the kids would say booring.
We went to our family reunion at Lake Tenkiller over Memorial Day weekend. The kids had a great time as usual. The day we left to go, our Sheltie Tiger had a stroke or something. We took him to the vet before we left and the vet said to keep him quiet and gave him Valium. The vet said we could take him with us, so we did. Bad thing was he could not walk, he was paralyzed, so we had to take him outside and lay him on the ground for him to potty. Most people, I guess, would have put their pet to sleep, but I kept the faith and kept praying and hoping he would get better. He made it through the weekend and once we got home he slowing began to get to his feet and walk a few steps. It took almost two weeks before he could walk completely on his own. Now, he is walking, running and back to his old self and has had no more "spells".
The Kids- The boys have spent the summer with my Mom. They have literally been driving her crazy.
Chance was having attitude problems, but has improved over the summer. He has been off his ADHD meds and is extremely hyper. He has been eating like crazy and drinking almost a gallon of milk within a few days.
Drew is drew. He is obsessed with video games and the computer. I don't know if I have mentioned his diet before, but he does not eat most meats and only eats chicken nuggets, hates eggs and is allergic to peanut butter. Here is a list of what he will eat...
pancakes
orange rolls
Grilled Cheese sandwiches
pizza
Macaroni and cheese
Dinosaur Chicken nuggets
Pasta with tomatoe sauce
Vanilla Ice Cream
He will drink milk but not pediasure
Drew says he is a vegitarian but does not eat any vegetables-except what he gets in the tomato sauce.

Nicholas is doing great. He fits right in with our family. He appears to have forgotton his Russian. When I speak Russian to him he scrunches up his nose and says"What?" He is a very busy little boy. He loves playing with any toys. He is always happy, with a huge smile on his face. He will eat anything. He drinks two cans of Pedia Sure a day. He has not been getting therapy over the summer,it will start back when he goes back to school in the fall.

Lynlea- she is working full time.

Our second trip of the summer was to visit my Brother whom I have not been very close to. He is my parent's biological child and was out of the house when I was born. He is 20 years older than me. They have a cabin at Lake Texoma on the Oklahoma side. We left on a Friday morning and came back on Sunday. It was a really short trip, but the kids had a blast. They rode jet skis, drove the golf carts, and Chance drove the boat. We hope we get to go back again soon. Chance wants to move there permanently. I wouldn't mind that myself.

As for me, I am still trying to analyze my financial situation. I have applied for Financial aid and am going to try to go back to school part time. I am going to try to become an RN. An accountant and RN-odd combination. We will see how far I get. My mom will have to keep the boys while I am in class. I will have to work all day and go to class at night or Sat. So wish me luck. It will probably take me forever as I can probably only take a class or maybe two at a time.

2009-07-12T15:09:00.001-07:00

2009-07-12T15:07:00.003-07:00

Nicholas

2009-07-12T15:03:00.001-07:00

This is Nicholas first trip to our family reunion at Lake Tenkiller in Oklahoma.

First Post Placement Visit

2009-05-02T13:30:00.000-07:00

We had our first postplacement visit April 18th. Lori our Social Worker came and we talked and talked. Everything went really well.We have been really busy with soccer. It rained today, so our games were cancelled.
Nicholas is doing great and I think he has grown about an inch taller. His long pants are a little too short. He is going to "schoola" aka Early Intervention Program at the local public school- Tues through Fri. He is receiving Speech, OT and PT. I have his first real IEP meeting on Monday.
I have been stressed due to work. Since coming back from Russia, I am working 40 hours per week rather than 35 at the same salary. My child support was cut $1,000 per month which really hurts. Don't even ask why.. I have got to come up with a back up plan. Either I need to go back to school to get my Master's or another option would be to go back to teaching. I taught 8 months on a provisional license before. I would have to re-enroll in non-traditional licensure program and find someone to hire me. I have passed the Praxis 1 and Praxis II in Business Ed and in sll subjects 4-6th grade. So, I am praying hard to try to decide what path I should take. I could stay where I am and take the MHPP (Mental Health Paraprofessional Exam) and become a Mental Health case manager when another case manager position comes open. Currently, I make less than the local teacher's starting salary. Sorry for this to be so glum.
I have cancelled our home phone and Internet service to save money. I am using the Internet at my mom's now. Some people have asked me why I adopted if I couldn't afford my financial situation. That really makes me mad. First of all, I didn't realize my child support was going to be cut $1,000 per month. Anyway, if I could adopt again I would, just can't afford it now.Say a prayer for me, I could use it.
I will post some pictures of Nicholas soon, we took some really cute ones for our post placement report. He will have been home six months May 5th.

More Pictures from Vladivostok

2009-03-21T14:22:00.001-07:00

Inside the Artem Baby Home

2009-03-08T16:27:00.001-07:00

Pictures of Artem, Near the Orphanage

2009-03-08T16:14:00.001-07:00

More Pictures of Downtown Vladivostok

2009-03-08T15:41:00.001-07:00

Vladivostok Russia

2009-03-08T15:30:00.001-07:00

March News

2009-03-08T10:53:00.000-07:00

Time flies. I wanted to update everyone on what's been going on. Nicholas and I have been busy going back and forth to doctors still.
Here's what we have had done so far this year and the results.
Cat Scan and EEG - no seizures, good report
Echocardiogram and EKG- normal, innocent heart murmur.
Kidney Ultrasound- normal
We went to Little Rock to the Dennis Developmental Center for him to be evaluated- they ordered Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy which he will receive at school. They said he was the happiest, most gleeful child they had seen. That made me feel really good. He was diagnosed with "global developmental delay". We are monitoring his growth and he may need to see an endocrinologist in the future.
We went back to the ear doctor and they did another hearing test and his hearing was "normal" which is great. He has started talking more since his surgery. You ask him his name in English and he says "I want a car". I translate in Russian -Mi na za voot Nicholas and he says Nicholas. We were reading a magazine at the doctors and he kept saying "What's That Momma?" When I told him, he would say "good job, Momma."
He is such a sweet happy boy. He got his 4 year old shots this week also. He started screaming the minute he saw them. Poor baby. He absolutely loves his Pawpaw and Chance who he calls joo joo,a character from star Wars, Chance started him calling him that. He will walk up to any man and grab their hand, women he is stand offish.
Dr. Pierce is recovering at the Med in Memphis. He lost an eye and still has a breathing tube. There is a $50,000 reward for whoever bombed his car. I hope they catch whoever did it.

One more view out our Hotel Window

2009-02-09T19:30:00.000-08:00

Here is another picture out of our hotel window. People were living in the van and rail car. They had a dog that would literally chase people down the street each day.
Also, forgot to mention our internet did not work at the Hotel Vladivostok at all. The TV on had Russian channels. We did have a dorm size refrigerator though and as I mentioned before the breakfast buffet was good.

Hotel Vladivostok Downtown

2009-02-09T19:21:00.000-08:00

Here are pictures of our room in the Hotel Vladivostok in downtown Vladivostok. The room was small as you can see. No place to put our over abundance of luggage. The floor literally creaked when we walked on it. No smoke detectors in the room and we were on the seventh floor. We had a lovely view of construction out our window. The construction went on most of the night as well. The bathroom had a lock on the outside of the door and we soon learned why. The odor of raw sewage was tremendous. You just pull the shower curtain around in front of the sink and toilet to take a shower. We stayed here 5 days and I learned my lesson. I don't want to give up basic needs for a cheaper room ever again. The free buffett breakfast was delicious and the restaurant manager was seated next to us one morning. He said pardon me I recognize some southern accents. We began talking and he was originally from Searcy, Arkansas and had moved to Russia 18 years earlier in Restaurant management. Small world....

More Pictures from the Orphanage in Artem

2009-02-09T19:13:00.001-08:00

Here are some more pictures, bear with me, my computer is only allowing me to upload a few at a time

Long time coming-some pics from the Orphanage

2009-02-09T19:06:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures taken of Nicholas during our second trip. I will try to post more from our trip as time permits.

Need help with a Russian Word

2009-02-09T11:29:00.000-08:00

Nick says a Russian word quite frequently that I am not quite sure what the meaning is. I would appreciate if someone could tell me what they think he is saying. It sounds like he is saying ah-bee-do long o. I think it might mean done or finished, but would like to know.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

More on Dr. Pierce

2009-02-04T14:48:00.000-08:00

This is more on my Doctor-Dr. Pierce.
WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. (AP) - A car bomb explosion critically wounded the head of the Arkansas panel that licenses and disciplines doctors, detonating in his driveway as he was leaving for work, authorities said.

Police said they had no idea why someone would target Dr. Trent P. Pierce, chairman of the Arkansas State Medical Board. The explosive device placed on or near the car shattered the front of his white Lexus hybrid in a blast the police chief said could be heard a mile away.

"We don't know if this was a random target or someone specifically targeted him," said West Memphis Police Chief Bob Paudert. He said it wasn't known if the doctor was in his car or outside it when the device exploded.

Pierce, a family-practice physician, was taken to Regional Medical Center in Memphis, Tenn., where he was listed in critical condition, hospital spokeswoman Sandy Snell said.

The FBI said a second person was injured outside Pierce's home, but Paudert said only Pierce was hurt. The discrepancy could not be resolved immediately.

Pierce had been due in Little Rock later Wednesday in advance of Thursday and Friday's medical board meeting. The board agenda includes at least seven doctors who previously faced discipline.

Board attorney William Trice, of Little Rock, said he knew of no heated disputes involving Pierce and that Pierce often didn't even take part in board votes.

"This is just off the wall," Trice said. "It's just such bizarre circumstances."

Little Rock police used bomb-sniffing dogs Wednesday afternoon to scan the board's headquarters. State police investigators and Little Rock detectives spoke with workers and accessed Pierce's e-mail account. Officers also planned to provide security during the board's upcoming hearings.

Pierce received no threatening e-mails or letters at work, nor had there been any outbursts during recent meetings targeting him, Trice said. The lawyer said he spoke Tuesday with Pierce and their conversation carried no tension or hints of trouble.

"This is a terrible tragedy," Trice said. "For a man that has given his life to treating patients, there's no justification for this."

The board regulates more than 8,000 doctors, 3,000 therapists and nearly 400 osteopaths. Since 2007, the board has disciplined 33 medical practioners - including 11 who had licenses suspended or revoked.

Though the motive for the attack was unknown, Gov. Mike Beebe was among those expressing concern for other board members.

"I think law enforcement's reaching out, because you don't know if this was connected to the medical board or it was just something individual," Beebe said. "To be safe, I think everybody's trying alert all the members of the medical board to be able to use extra caution."

Bill Sadler, a state police spokesman, said troopers across Arkansas interviewed board members and other staffers to see if there had been any threats. Sadler declined to say whether their investigation showed any link between the bombing and the board's recent actions.

"If there is anything that would indicate in the investigation that someone's life would be in danger, this department would take the necessary steps to protect those individuals," Sadler said.

Pierce's patients include the West Memphis police chief.

"He was loved and respected by everybody in this community," Paudert said. "He was a kind and gentle person."

Pierce's car sat wrecked in his driveway, its hood open and bumper partially torn away.

Police blocked off the tree-lined street about 100 yards from the site. Onlookers could see police officers walking back and forth with dogs, while other investigators wore jackets identifying themselves as members of the Arkansas State Police bomb squad or federal agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

In a statement, the ATF said it sent 18 special agents from three states to investigate the explosion.

Neighbor Julanne Ingram said she heard the explosion about 8 a.m.

"It was a huge explosion," she said. "It rattled the windows in this house."

Pierce, who is in his 50s, is married and has two grown children, Trice said.

He was appointed to the board in January 1997 and reappointed in 2005 by then-Gov. Mike Huckabee. The board oversees the practice of medicine in Arkansas and can discipline doctors for wrongdoing, including revoking their medical licenses.

In August, the chairman of Arkansas' Democratic Party was slain by a man who was later killed by officers after he threatened them. The motive for the shooting of Bill Gwatney was never determined.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Nicholas' First Surgery

2009-02-04T14:12:00.001-08:00

Nicholas had his first surgery today. We were told to be in Memphis at Lebonheur by 6am and we arrived 15 minutes early. Just me and Nicholas. It was 9:30am before they took him back which is really ridiculous. My other children have gone to the surgery center out East in the past and have always been taken into surgery no later than 7:30am. Enough of my venting for the moment. The surgery only lasted about 10 minutes and the doctor comes in to tell me that Nicholas has a huge hole in his ear drum. He said like quarter size. He put in tubes, but said there was lots of infection and fluid. They also did a biopsy of the tissue and a culture of the infection. He said " there is no telling what will come from the culture-it smelled horrid". He told me that he has very significant hearing loss in his right ear and probably some in his left and we will need to redo hearing tests again. Previous tests showed loss already. He will also need additional surgery to repair the huge hole-we have to see another specialist for that.He came through the surgery fine though, he was drunk from the pain medicine.(He has been cleared by the cardiologist-he has an innocent heart murmur. His head CT was ok, but we are having an EEG to rule out seizures.) In addition, Lynlea had an emergency appendectomy last week. When it rains it pours. Amazing-- I have already met two deductibles in the firt 35 days of the new year.I am missing tons of work already this year. Can you say stressed... We finally left the hospital at 11:30am and headed back to Arkansas. I heard the news about our dear Dr. Pierce while we were at the hospital.

Please pray for our Family Doctor- Trent Pierce

2009-02-04T13:29:00.000-08:00

WEST MEMPHIS, ARKANSAS (WMC) - West Memphis Police Chief Bob Paudert says a bomb caused a car to explode, critically injuring a doctor on Wednesday morning.
Paudert says he did not know of any threats against the doctor.
The explosion happened at 8:00 a.m. at Dr. Trent Pierce's home at North Avalon Street and West Cooper Avenue in West Memphis.
Pierce was airlifted to The Med in Memphis where he's listed in critical condition.
A family friend says Pierce was taken into surgery to remove metal from his abdomen. He also sustained burns and eye injuries.
According to that family friend, Pierce went outside this morning to warm up his Lexus hybrid when his wife heard a boom. She found her husband lying in a flower bed in front of the house.
A.T.F, F.B.I and other investigators are working the scene.
Police also conducted a routine search of the parking lot of Pierce's practice. Officers checked tag numbers on parked cars there.
Pierce is a family doctor who specializes in asthma. He has been in private practice since 1983. He's also the chairman of the Arkansas State Medical Board.
Pierce is a married father of two children.
The pastor of Pierce's church, First United Methodist in West Memphis, says there will be a city-wide prayer service held there for the doctor at 7:00 p.m. this evening.

I just cannot believe this is happening. Dr. Pierce and his wife are wonderful, kind, Christian people.

Long Time not Posting

2009-02-03T14:53:00.000-08:00

Wow, I can't beleive that it has been so long since I posted. We have been to a million or so it seems doctors and so far very little is wrong. He has gained seven pounds since we got home, he actually lost 3 pounds after originally gaining 10. He finally realized the food was going to be there and he was going to get plenty to eat. Bad news- yesterday his eardrum ruptured. He actually feels better now that it ruptured. He is having surgery tomorrow morning to repair the tear. It should be outpatient, but they might keep him overnight. So, please say a prayer for my little guy. He is doing wonderfully well. His English is better than his Russian. Well I must go for now. I promise I am going to start posting again.

Merry Christmas to All!!!

2008-12-26T09:06:00.000-08:00

I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We sure did. Chance set the alarm and he and Drew got up at 3:45 to see what Santa Claus brought. Nicholas woke up at 4:45 and I dozed off and on and got up to see their gifts. They were very excited and Nicholas squealed with joy. He got puzzles and a Fisher Price farm with animals. Chance got a bike and some University of Memphis stuff and Drew got transformers. The big gift Santa brought everyone was a Wii and all the Star Wars movies. We spent Christmas Day lunch at Mawmaw and Pawpaw's. Nicholas got a Radio Flyer Trike with a radio and horn that beeps and he loves it. He grinned from ear to ear and made loops riding it through my parents house.
The boys spent most of Christmas eve with their dad and I had to drive to Bartlett, Tn to pick them up around 8pm Christmas Eve. Normally, I get a little lonely, but this year I had Lynlea and Nicholas to keep me company. Lynlea is normally hanging out with friends, but I told her this year I wanted her to stay home with me and she did. This was her last Christmas as a child-which she kept reminding me, she turns 18 in June. She got a watch, an inspirational poster, a book-"The Time Traveler's Wife" and a purse. I am working today unfortunately.

Update!

2008-12-21T18:47:00.000-08:00

Sorry my posts have been non existent. I have been very busy. There have been many things going on. Busy at work-salary cut by a chunk due to cut backs. The kids have been wild awaiting Christmas Break which is finally here. Nicholas is doing great! He has already gained 9 lbs. We have been to the pediatrician who ordered tons of tests. We have to go to the hospital to get blood drawn and a wrist xray to see how his rickets are. He needs to be circumcised. He lost his two front teeth between the first and second visit and they couldn't tell me why or how. He grinds his teeth though. His teeth literally creek when he eats. They sound soo brittle. He has had his kidneys ultrasounded and they are fine. We have seen a neurologist and cat scan and EEG has been ordered. We visit the ENT for super large tonsils and Adenoids-he snores like a freight train-tomorrow. January we visit the cardiologist. He met Santa at school last week and I have a darling picture, but no scanner to scan it. He is learning English slowly. His Russian was not too good to begin with, only single words, no sentences. Peeska, poopka,shopka, sabacka, kisha, and machina are his favorite Russian words and he loves saying the boys names and he absolutely loooves his Pawpaw, who he spends time with each day. He was terrified of the animals at first, I literally thought he was going to climb the walls trying to get away from them. He has adjusted now and chases them everywhere. He is a very happy little boy. He freezes when he is mad and has a really mean looking scowl he can give. He roams at night. I have found him on the couch asleep many mornings. He eats a lot but is becoming more and more picky. Here is our family picture and one just of the kids.

Introducing Nicholas!

2008-12-05T12:04:00.000-08:00

Introducing Nicholas! Here is his orphanage photo. He was a big 20 lbs when we got home and 32 inches tall, he wears a size 18 months. His birthday is December 31, 2004. He is a happy guy and is adjusting very well. We have all been sick and have finally started to recover. We go to the pediatrician next week to try to get referrals to all the specialists he is going to need. I have already enrolled him in the early intervention program at our local public school and he went his first day yesterday and did very well. More pics and more info. later!

Gotcha Day! November 5th, 2008

2008-11-07T22:03:00.000-08:00

Today was a very busy day. First we picked up the court documents, went to have them apostilled, went to the passport office and then the long drive to the baby home. I finally got to take my little guy back to the hotel from the orphanage. Goodbyes were short and sweet at the baby home. All of his friends were asleep-it was naptime.
On the ride back to the hotel, we learned quickly that he gets carsick. He threw up the entire way to the hotel and looked a little green. Any of you who have made the trek before know the roads and the traffic. He was fine once we got to the room. The next day, we went for his physical and to the passport office to pick up his passport. Yesterday, we had our visa interview at the US Consolate which was very easy. We have met lots of new friends at the Vlad Inn. His diet at the baby home consisted of lots of oatmeal, soup, cheese, fruit and fish. I brought along instant potatoes and he loves them. We have bought lots of groceries and are able to cook in the suite. We have a hot plate with some pans and a microwave and they will loan you a hotpot to boil water for tea and coffee. I brought instant coffee bags from home.
He wears a size 18 months, shoe size Toddler 5, though his pants are a little big on him. He is very tiny, I don't know his exact weight at this time. He is a cutie and smiles all the time. The only time he has cried has been when he fell off the bed or off of a chair, or riding in the car~carsick. Our coordinator is off to Moscow today to register all of our documents and we should leave next Saturday November 15th. We have tons of beautiful pictures of Vladivostok and I will post them when we get home as I don't want to use up too many minutes of internet time. I will also wait until we get home to reveal his name and other details. He is definitely a momma's boy!

Waiting in Vlad

2008-10-31T21:57:00.000-07:00

We have had a good week. We visited each day Monday through Saturday here with my new little guy. Monday and Tuesday are holidays here, so Lynlea and I will see him Wednesday and take custody Wednesday. The weather is chilly now. In the 30s each morning. No snow or rain yet. The flower vendors are still selling their flowers on the side of the road. We have enjoyed the scenery each morning on our ride to the orphanage. The animals along the roadside are amusing-ducks taking baths in the ditches, a pair of puppies playing on the side of the road in the same spot by the new bridge construction each day, the random cows and goats feeding on the last bit of grass.
Its amazing the new things we notice each day. One thing I recently noticed is a cemetary with picnic tables beside the graves. This morning one person had a fire burning and was evidently about to have a picnic at one of the tables.

My interpretor has been wonderfully helpful.
I was able to get a detailed list of my little guys daily schedule and a list of what he normally eats each day. Everyone at the orphanage has been very helpful providing me with many tidbits of information on my little guy.
We have been able to skype my parents and my other boys each day.
Thanks for everyone's comments, I promise to post more details later.

In Vlad and Successful Court Hearing

2008-10-26T13:53:00.000-07:00

Finally, Internet access! We made it to Vladivostok last Monday. I got to see my little fellow Mon-Thurs. He is doing fine. We stayed in the Hotel Vladivostok downtown-no english channels on the tv, our internet would not work, the bathroom was like an outhouse I remember from my childhood literally, the room was very small and dingy, the traffic and construction outside our window kept us up each night. The food in the restaurant was delicious though! Finally, on Saturday, we moved to the Vlad Motor Inn-Heaven compared to our other hotel.
Court Hearing was Friday and everything went wonderfully. I had a decision within two minutes !! The ten day waiting period was not waived. So we visit each day until November 5th when I get to take custody!
Out of confidentiality, I will not reveal too much until we get home and no pictures until we get home of the little guy. I will be posting some of our pictures of the scenery and countryside.
I miss everyone and Lynlea is definitely wanting to be back home.

Help me Raise some Money!! Please!!

2008-10-04T12:12:00.000-07:00

Hi! Please help me raise some of the money I need for our trip to Russia. We will be there 29 days or so it is predicted, so I desperately need to raise some money. So please visit my ebay store and take a look. I am mainly listing little girls clothing new with tags, including some Christmas dresses. If you have any little girls to buy for, you might find something you like.
I sincerely appreciate your help.
Thanks!
Here is the link....
http://stores.ebay.com/Leas-Boutique

I HAVE A COURT DATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-09-25T19:06:00.000-07:00

I have a Court Date!! Can you hear me screaming? I am sooooo very happy. I found out today. We will be leaving for Vladivostok on October 18th and my court date is the following Friday. Anyone else going to Vlad please email me or something..
I can't wait. I bought our tickets tonight. I am going to be very busy the next three weeks getting ready. Any suggestions or ideas or words of wisdom are more than welcome.

Still Waiting....

2008-09-16T17:58:00.000-07:00

I had to have my medical clearance updated because it expires the end of this month and my homestudy agency had to update their license or something. So these two items had to be redone and apostilled and should be back to my agency tomorrow and I am still praying each day for my court date.
Otherwise, we are having a good fall.
I have been praying diligently for our country right now and for my little guy in Russia.
Sorry I haven't posted much lately. I have been working all day at work and sometimes at night too from home. Also, our DSL was out for a while.

Final Documents Headed to Russia

2008-08-31T14:13:00.000-07:00

After doing and redoing documents, my final documents are finally heading to Russia! I am hoping I will get a court date very, very soon! I am predicting we will be traveling to Russia the first or second week in October. We sold the Jetta finally!! We are trying to raise the last little bit for our trip. The boys are doing great in school so far. I sent a letter and pictures to my little guy.

Busy, Busy , Busy

2008-08-21T16:21:00.000-07:00

I have great news after doing and redoing documents, today I overnighted a big packet of papers to WACAP. Now the apostilling and hopefully I will get a court date soon.
The boys went back to school this week. They both like their new teachers-Thank goodness.
This was to be Lynlea's Senior year and as I have mentioned, she wants to go to Russia with me which will be approximately 21 days. Well, after talking with the principal and superintendent of school, they would not allow her to go with me-said they would not excuse her. So, I let her decide what she wanted to do, she decided she wanted to go to Russia and would sacrifice her Senior year. So, I filed an "intent to homeschool" her on the deadline to file day. I had homeschooled her in 3rd and 4th grade in Tennessee, so I sort of knew the guidelines, Arkansas was a little different though. I also knew of a small Christian school in Memphis that provides an Extension program where she will complete her work at home and test once per week. So I registered her there and she will graduate from there.
Still haven't sold the Jetta.

Finally got My I171H!

2008-08-13T19:45:00.000-07:00

I finally received my I171H in the mail yesterday! I am so excited. I am still trying to sell the Jetta or somehow come up with the money. I am soooo worried about the war between Russia and Georgia. I certainly hope this is not going to affect adoptions from Russia. I am praying that it will all come to a peaceful end soon.
I am notarizing my last few documents and hope to get them in the mail this week.

USCIS Delays....

2008-07-30T16:37:00.000-07:00

My homestudy agency mailed my one page addendum a week ago this past Friday to USCIS to answer their questions regarding my kidney issue. So, I emailed USCIS this past Friday to make sure that they had received it. They emailed me back Monday saying for me to please allow 4 weeks for processing. That really infuriated me. Now everything is pushed out at least 4 weeks and it will be the first week in October at the very earliest before I can return to Russia to pick up my little guy.
I need prayers please!!
I also listed the Jetta on ebay this week. Carmax did not offer me nearly enough. So I hope I sell it, that will be a good chunk of what we need for our trip.
It has been too hot to go outside at all- upper 90's all week, think we reached 100 one day.

A better week!

2008-07-18T16:51:00.000-07:00

This week was much better! I received my letter from my urologist and my social worker wrote my addendum to my homestudy and mailed it in today to USCIS. I also mailed in my court petition to my agency. So, now I wait- waiting on my I171H and my fingerprints to come back from the FBI. I am going to work on trying to sell Lynlea's car this weekend to get the money for Trip 2. Someone recommended I take it to Carmax in Memphis and see how much they will give me for it. So we are going to take the boys to their dad's and visit Carmax tomorrow. Work has been busy again due to people on vacation. I ordered the boys some school clothes. I had a Children's Place coupon and shopped through Ebates.com to get another 3-4% cash back. The link to ebates is on the sidebar. If you sign up, I get $5 if you tell them that I referred you, use my email address: ldenson23@sbcglobal.net. They will give you $5.00 for signing up and you get cash back just by going to ebates and choosing the store you want to shop at and it takes you to the store, you shop and they send you a check quarterly.If your friends sign up and use your email address and make a purchase, you get $5.00 for each friend that signs up and makes a purchase. I have received over $200 back by using them. I am trying to get everything ready for the boys to go back to school. I also have to schedule Lynlea's Senior Pictures and she has to take the ACT test again. Drew needs an appointment to get a new Epi Pen for school- peanut butter allergy and a new Medik alert bracelet, his was too little and was cutting his wrist, we literally had to cut it off. Poor little guy didn't tell me it was too tight and cutting his wrist. I happened to see it and he said he forgot to tell me. I found a pediatrician in Memphis that speaks English, Russian and Ukrainian for my new guy to visit. I think we are going to need PT, OT and speech therapy, I am debating on daycares, it's not like we have much of a choice in our towns though. I have one friend who received a referral of a little girl this week from Novosibirsk, and one couple I know who are traveling back to a town in Russia that I can't remember to pick up their 12 month old and another friend who will be traveling to Estonia for her first visit with her daughter. So the adoption world is very busy right now.

Hopefully This Will Be a Better Week!

2008-07-07T17:33:00.000-07:00

Last week was not a good week. First of all, we were short handed at work and so I was extremely busy-not to mention the short work week. So, I was literally in overdrive all week. I had my physical the week I got back from Russia and had my fingerprints done and mailed off to the FBI for my "local" Police check. Don't know why it is called local. Tuesday morning, I dropped the boys off at Granny's and took my foster baby to daycare. Lynlea rode with me to work as she has a JOB now. Yea! She is working as an "assistant" to the therapists and case managers at my company's day treatment summer program-which is a good thing. Anyway around 10 am, I get a phone call from DHHS telling me that my foster baby is gone to live with his grandma- which I knew was coming; however, the caseworker herself did not even have the decency to call me, she had a transporter-the one who drives the kids places-to call me and tell me that they "needed his stuff-he's gone to live with his Grandma". I have had it past my eyeballs with DHHS and their insentitivity to foster parents, so I told her that she would have to come by after work. ( this is a really bad run on sentence, so I will start a new one now) Did you know that no one has called me back about picking up his things and it is a week later. Just reassurance that I am doing the right thing by adopting from Russia.
Thurday was the really horrible very bad day. I was so busy at work. Lynlea called me once she got home- she got off earlier than me and told me that I got a letter from USCIS and my doctor. Yea, I thought and told her to go ahead and open them and read them to me. The letter from USCIS requested more information regarding my health-I have one kidney, which I thought we had already addressed in the homestudy. They asked if I was on any meds- which I am not, which my homestudy states this. They asked if it would interfere with me parenting a child-that question really really upset me. I can give birth to 3 children and foster 20 and am currently a licensed foster/adopt home and they are going to ask that question. Now, I really think that I should have gone to the office in Fort Smith, AR, rather than Memphis, my mistake, it won't happen again. So, the letter says that my homestudy has to be ammended and answer all the questions they asked and they must received it by July 30th.
Next, the letter from my doctor which is suppose to contain the "form" that I need filled out for the Russian court~~ In the envelope there is a detailed letter regarding my health and a blank copy of the form. Needless to say I was freaking out.
So, it was pointless to call anyone at that time on a Thursday before the holiday. So over the weekend, I planned my "plan of action" for Monday. Friday- the fourth, the boys went to their dad's house and Lynlea went to a friend's house and my parents decided not to cook and so I stayed home. I was extremely lonely all weekend. I don't think I have been completely childless in quite sometime, except for my time in the hotel in Russia. I watched lots of TV. Extreme Makeover Home Edition always makes me cry buckets.
Anyway, I woke up this morning and went to work with my "plan of Action" in my head.
At 9:30am, I called my doctor's office's office manager and explained to her(actually for the second time, since I had called the day after my original appt and explained in detail what I needed)I explained in detail again what I had to have and explained that I had hand delivered the form, emailed the form and faxed the form to their office. She said that she didn't have it, so I faxed everything again, including a notarized letter from the State of AR
Medical Board permitting licensed MD's to fill out the form (which I got from my agency). Thank goodness that must have done the trick, she called me back in a few hours and said that it was ready. Needless to say, I was skeptical that it was filled out correctly and told her I would pick it up after work.
Number one on my list was halfway checked off.
Now, on to the second item on my list, I called my urologist's office and read off the list of questions from USCIS and told his nurse that I needed a notarized letter answering the questions. She promised that I should have it by the end of the week or first of next week. I have my fingers crossed.
After work, I picked up the form from my doctor's office. Praise God- it was filled out correctly.
So, I am waiting on my letter from my urologist in order that my homestudy can be ammended, my fingerprint results( the lady at the Sheriff's office thinks I am crazy, I have been there every 6months between the foster care and adoption fingerprinting), my residency verification, warranty deed, in my case aka quit claim deed and the letter I need for the court regarding my new boy's name. I am still debating on the name....
Pray that I can get all these things back soon, so I can go get him...OH, he is on the Russian photolisting... I saw him this weekend...

Pictures of Vladivostok-Mainly from a Van as we were driving down the road!

2008-06-27T20:04:00.001-07:00

Back Home

2008-06-25T18:09:00.000-07:00

I am back home after several wonderful days of visiting with my new guy. I can't post his pictures or the pictures I took at the orphanage yet, but here are pictures I took while in Vladivostok and on the way to the orphanage. I got back in around midnight Sunday night. Lynlea and a friend picked me up at the airport. It was 1:15am before we got to bed, the boys waited up for me. I had to go to work at 8am the next morning and have worked all week. My jet lag has finally begun to fade. I really miss my little guy, but was glad to get back home to my other kids. Now, I have to get busy getting all my final paperwork together. I had my physical yesterday and my doctor did not like the physical form at all; I have my fingers crossed that she will fill it out correctly for me. I did get bad news yesterday, my foster son is going to live with his maternal grandmother very soon. The mom lives with her and is "unfit" to say the least. So pray for my foster son that he will get the love and care that he really needs when he goes home. The kids are all really sad that he is leaving. Lynlea and Chance cried when I told them. We have had him 5 months now. I told them that this only confirms that our adopting from Russia is what was meant to be and once we get our new little guy home with us, he won't go "back". Now I have to get busy trying to raise the HUGE some of travel money I need to get to Russia and back the second time and bring him home.

Another Day in Vlad

2008-06-18T12:21:00.001-07:00

I just woke up and thought I would post. Yes, Nancy he is from the same baby home as Nathan. We had a great visit again yesterday. He is already calling me Mama and ran to hug me when I first arrived. We colored in a John Deere coloring book and had animal stickers to try to find the animals in the book. Kisha and sabacka were his favorites. Pardon my spelling if incorrect. He is very focused and sat and colored for a long time. He is a very sweet little guy, very tiny. I have to get ready for another visit. I get to stay from about 9:45 to 11:30 each day. So it is a good long visit.

In Vladivostok-First Visit

2008-06-16T22:33:00.000-07:00

I finally made it to Vladivostok. I left Memphis Saturday and arrived in Moscow Sunday morning at 3 am. I had a 5 hour layover that turned into 11 hours due to mechanical delays. I was exhausted and still am. It was very hot in Moscow inside the airport. I finally landed in Vlad at 2:30pm yesterday, Monday. We had our first visit today. He is adorable! We had fun playing ball and coloring in a "Cars" coloring book. Macheena, Macheena! He was very excited! I should get to visit with him each day this week. The baby home was very clean and very neat and the children are very well taken care. I have internet in my room here at the Vlad Motor Inn, so i will try to post all week. I have been videoing a lot and will post my videos of the landscape as soon as I figure out how. It is very green here, lots of trees. The weather is perfect. It was warm yesterday with a cool breeze blowing and today it was a little cooler, but is still is very nice. I found out that the beach is within walking distance of the Vlad Motor Inn, but I will not venture out as I am alone.
I bought cheese(not sure what kind, but it is really good)crackers, fruit-banannas and oranges, bottled water and coke to snack on along with the other snacks I brought along. I was a little confused by the airplane Russian food. There was always meat(turkey?) and cheese small portions, crab and corn mixed together, brown bread, brown roll, and pastry. We were also offered fish for breakfast. i declined.
Enough of my rambling for today, I will post more later.

Traveling to Russia for sure!

2008-06-07T14:31:00.000-07:00

I am leaving for Russia next Saturday and arriving in Vladivostok on Monday morning, June 16th.
I need ideas as to what to take as gifts..bubbles, puzzles, what else??? Did anyone take any "orphanage donations" on their own the first trip, if so what?
I am sooo excited!

Traveling Next Week!

2008-06-05T20:19:00.000-07:00

I am heading to Russia next Saturday! That is if I get my tickets. Tickets prices have skyrocketed and all the flights from Seoul or Moscow are booked. One travel agent would never call me back causing me like a 2 day delay. My travel agent thinks we have a flight through Moscow and I should know for sure tomorrow.
Lynlea is not going with me this trip. I am going alone! Yes, I am a little terrified! Good news is that my visa was purchased today! Someone left me a very, very nice donation today!! I am so excited! It is my very first donation! I am very,very thankful!! God Bless You!

I know that God is helping me and guiding me and making things happen! God is good.. so good to me..

I Accepted My Referral!!

2008-05-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

I officially accepted my referral today! I received more pictures and answers to my questions~which were all positive!! He is a real cutie!! In his first pictures he looked terrified. In the pictures I received today he was smiling and happy. I found out we need to travel within 2 to 3 weeks. Wow- that is really quick. So, I have a million things running through my head. Ok- everyone did you use a travel agency or how did you find the cheapest tickets??? Also, the name game. I have decided not to call him by his given Russian name for a reason I cannot disclose at this time; however I decided on another Russian sounding name and to keep his Russian name as his middle name. If you changed what you actually call your child from what they were called in the orphanage, how did you transition this and how did your child react?? So, I am sooo very excited!! Lynlea is jumping for joy also, because we may be in Russia on her birthday!!

I Received a Referral!!

2008-05-26T18:53:00.000-07:00

I am so very excited! I am very late posting this. I received my referral for a darling little boy last Thursday,May 22, 2008! I received the call just before I was leaving to go out of town for the weekend. Since I am bound by confidentiality, I cannot post any detailed information or pictures. He has some medical issues, so I forwarded his information to the University of Minnesota Adoption Clinic. I was very surprised at how easy their website was to use and how quickly that I received a response back~ the very next day. We just got back this evening and I was able to read the medical evaluation, they requested that I ask several more questions, so I forwarded the additional questions on to my agency. So, I am waiting to receive some more info from my agency to resubmit for review and then I will make my decision. Of course, my heart is telling me to accept him without the additional information, but I know I should make an "informed" decision. So, I will wait impatiently...

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T07:51:00.000-07:00

At 6 am this morning, which is Drew's normal wake up time every morning, including weekends, I woke up with Drew standing beside the bed. He kissed me on the cheek and said "Happy Mother's Day Mom" and he said "I promise I won't come back in and bother you, I will let you rest!" Next, he kissed my hand and said "Mom, I hope you have a bless-ed(Bless Ed -Drew's Pronuciation) Day! He is such a sweetheart! I hope all you other mom's have a blessed day too!

Great News!

2008-05-07T19:37:00.000-07:00

I got a phone call today from my agency at work!! My documents are officially registered in my region in Russia! So, now we wait on the referral and my USCIS approval. The local USCIS said it should take no longer than 2 months from the time all of my documents are received. June 1st will be 2 months. I also broke the news to my boss today. I rang his office and asked if he had a minute and he said sure, so I said I will be there in a minute. I walked in, shut the door. Sat down and said~ well, I am not pregnant, but almost, his eyes got big and I told him I was adopting. He said that's great. I said from Russia and I will have to travel 2 trips, one approximately one week to 10 days and the second trip 21 days approximately more or less. He was very understanding and said they will work with me any way they can! I told him I needed an employment letter and emailed him an example and he got it ready and notarized today for me! So, that was a relief.
I still have lots of documents for my part 2 dossier. I have got to get busy!

IEP Time

2008-05-06T19:24:00.000-07:00

I had Drew's IEP meeting today. As I was waiting in the office on the Special Ed lady, here comes Drew into the office followed by the substitute teacher. He crawled into my lap and I hugged him and asked him what he was doing in the office and he said he was in trouble. I told him that he knew better and let the sub take him on into the principal's office. He always has trouble with subs. The IEP meeting went fine and he will continue receiving services and they will help him with his transition to the new school ( 2nd and 3rd grade building is in another town, although the same school district).
The autism group has given grants for the children to attend Tai Kwon Do classes as a form of therapy. Drew went to his second class tonight, he really loves it. It is amazing how some of the children are focusing.

Almost Done Revising my Blog

2008-05-06T19:22:00.000-07:00

I am almost done revising my blog. I didn't realize that when I changed my template I would lose all my sidebar information. It's rather a pain trying to recreate it all. I am going to try to get the kids pics back up soon. If you would like me to add you to my blogroll, please just let me know. Thanks!

Revising my blog

2008-05-05T13:24:00.001-07:00

Please be patient while I make my blog pretty!

Tornadoes Again

2008-05-02T17:50:00.000-07:00

Tornadoes struck Earle, Arkansas, a small town very close to us today. It is a very poor rural community, population just a little over 3,000 people. Luckily, the news is reporting that no one was killed which is surprising since they are reporting it was an F3 Tornadoe. There is major damage, lots of houses wiped right off their foundations. Our business has lots of clients there. The only medical clinic there was demolished. Say a prayer for these people and consider making a donation to the American Red Cross for this little town.

Tornadoes struck other small towns around us today too. Luckily, our town was spared. I sure wish we had a storm cellar or basement.
The boys are going to their dad's this weekend, so I should have more time to post later.

Enjoying the Weekend

2008-04-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

We have had a good week and are enjoying our weekend! My first round of dossier papers were mailed to the Secretary of State for apostilling this week. My social worker, Lori,who did my homestudy~ with Children's Homes, Inc. is a sweetheart! She personally took a document that her agency had to redo this week to the Secretary of State's office and had it apostilled herself for me! Hopefully the apostilling won't take too long.
My beautiful daughter Lynlea is going to Prom tonight! She is still a junior, but her date is a senior. After the Prom, they are going to the church. The church has an all night party. The kids check in/sign in by 12am and cannot leave til 6 am and it is totally supervised! I hope everyone has a great weekend!

A Great Way to Help Fund an Adoption!

2008-04-26T13:02:00.000-07:00

As anyone who is trying to adopt knows, adoption costs are expensive. If you are adopting from Russia, the travel alone is really expensive. I have found a wonderful way to make money to fund my adoption.
I have signed up for the PayPerPost, where you write reviews about products and things that you love to make money ~$20.00 for this one and you get paid to blog!!
I got the idea from my friend Beverly~ Motherhood and Other Ramblings. This is a great way for me to make some extra cash writing about things I believe in. If you need some extra cash or are trying to finance your adoption you can sign up and start making some money yourself. The link to sign up is to the right and you can actually sign up right here on my blog and I will get paid $15.00 for every person that signs up and begins blogging for payperpost! You can get paid referral fees of $15 for each person who signs up from your blog too. You can choose which opportunities to write reviews for; they even have charitable causes and social issues that you can write about. It's easy! So click on my links to help me make some money and make some money for yourself too!
I truly appreciate your support!! Sign up now and you can start blogging for money!!

Changing Regions

2008-04-21T09:08:00.000-07:00

I am officially changing regions to Vladivostok-Primosky Krai. I spoke with my agency rep Friday and wayed the pros and cons over the weekend and emailed her this morning to change regions. It was a beautiful weekend here and today the temp will be in the 80's. We spent Saturday at the Mid South Autism Awareness Walk. The kids had a blast and lots of people showed up. Lynlea is visiting a college today 3 1/2 hours away. She and a friend drove by themselves. I am praying she has a safe trip.
More later, got to get to work.

The "A" Word

2008-04-15T18:33:00.000-07:00

After reading a post on Nancy's blog, I decided to write this post rather than leaving a really long comment on Nancy's blog. As an adoptee myself, I cannot tell you how many times throughout my life, I have suffered silently when people mentioned adoption negatively. Not to mention all the times, I felt I didn't fit in or was from another planet just because I was adopted. Surprisingly most of those times were at family events-family reunions, visits with my brother and his family,, Christmastime, birthdays,etc. My nephew, who was 15 months younger than me, once told me that I was not really part of the family, because I did not have their blood in my body.I was only about 10 years old at the time. Those words hurt me so deeply and I have never forgotten them. They haunted me for years especially at family events. When we would go places, I would look at women walking by and wonder if they were my "mother". I would see women on T.V. and wonder if they were my "mother". Have you ever heard of the book-"Are you my Mother?" I think it was a Dr. Seuss book or not? It was about a little bird that fell out of the nest and went searching for his mother. He went to all these different animals asking "Are you my mother?" He finally found her. I read that book over and over again as a child. I never told anyone how I was feeling inside. I held it all inside and sometimes I was sad and sometimes I was angry for no reason really, just because of the "A" word. Everytime we had to do a family tree in school or genetics in biology class, once again I was reminded of the "A" word. Even today I was reminded , my parents are having to sign a form with me on a property transfer. On one of the papers they have to verify that I am their child and we have to have it notarized. My mom, bless her heart, she is 80 years old and her mind is not always so clear, said does it matter that you are adopted? I said no Mom, the birth certificate says that I am your child and it says nothing about me being adopted. Yes, I have been and still am their child after 43 years.
My parents have always, always showed me tons of complete unconditional love and spoiled me rotten, so there was never ever a doubt in my mind that they loved me. I even think they might love me as much or even more than their biological son. I thank God each and every day for blessing me with them! I hope my new son will feel the same way about me one day!

Dossier Part I

2008-04-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

My Part I Dossier papers have been mailed to my agency to be sent on for apostilling. One more step, out of the way! Hope everyone is having a great week. Mine has been really busy at work and at home!

In Mourning

2008-04-10T17:26:00.000-07:00

We have been in mourning all week! The University of Memphis Tigers Lost! I could not even watch the last few minutes of the game as they were beat by Kansas. Chance was extremely sad too. We all really wanted them to win the National Championship!
We still love them though! Go Tigers Go!

A Crazy Week

2008-04-10T16:46:00.000-07:00

Well, we finally figured out that my street does not have anything behind the name, so I am in the process of getting my "Phase 1" documents ready to take to the notary next week and then mail on to my agency.
I have officially decided on a region- Novosibirsk- and I let my agency know. So now I am waiting on my approval from USCIS and can begin working on my "phase 2" documents.
It has been really crazy at home and work this week but I have survived. The kid that I had mentioned in a previous post that had been picking on Chance began picking on him again and I had enough. So, I had him moved from the classroom. Now he has a new teacher, new lunch time, new recess and has no contact with the boy that kept pestering him. I hate it came to this, but he was crying every night and morning about this kid picking on him and the teacher as well. So I think this was a good decision even if there are only about 9 more weeks left of school.
Drew woke up in a mood yesterday. His blue jeans were bothering him and he couldn't get them buttoned~ which he never can get them buttoned, but some days he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed and everything bothers him. I buy 5 pairs of the same style jeans for him, because normally he wants the same pants every day, but not this morning. So, I grabbed a pair of Chance's and he wore them, even though he couldn't button them himself either. But, he was pacified wearing them.
It was pouring down rain and I tried to convince him to let me drop him off by the cafeteria door so that he would not get wet-no way. He wanted to be dropped off at his usual location whether he got wet or not. So by the time I got to work, I was ready to rest! Ever had one of those days?

Regions and Update

2008-04-06T12:10:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. My agency is WACAP and the regions that I am able to adopt from are Novosibirsk, Vladivostok (Primorsky Krai) and Sakhlin. Feel free to give me your opinion. I am worried about the courier fees to Moscow from Vladivostok and Sakhlin. Novosibirsk is closer to Moscow. I am waying the pros and cons of each region, time between trips and length of each trip and whether the 10 day is normally waived. I have ran into a problem with some of my paperwork. It is rather silly, but can make a big difference if everything does not match. The problem is the street I live on- there are papers that list it as a Drive, others list is as a Street and other have nothing after the name. Also, my home was transferred to me by my father, well I thought it was, but evidently the lawyer did not complete the paper work. I have been paying the mortgage and insurance anyway. So, I am waiting to speak with the lawyer to see what is going on. I am also really worried about the travel costs and costs while I am in country. I wanted to bring my daughter with me on at least one of the trips. Really, I hope she will go on both trips, if I can afford it. I want her to share the experience of getting her brother and also see how the other side of the world lives. I have been listing stuff on ebay to try to raise some extra money. If necessary, I will sell my daughter's car-2003 Volkswagon Jetta anyone? I am also selling our timeshare week in Destin to raise some money. I am trying to get everything together, but with work, kids, my foster child,etc, I have not been as quick getting everything done as I would have liked.

Happy April Fool's Day

2008-04-01T18:49:00.000-07:00

I had my fingerprinting appointment today in Memphis. My appointment was at 9am, but it was pouring down rain, so I drove straight to Memphis after dropping off the kids and arrived by 8:30. I was able to go straight in and after just a few minutes they called me back. Total time in the building was less than ten minutes and I was on the road back to Arkansas to go to work. We have been extremely busy at work. My goal is to finish my first set of dossier papers and have them notarized by Friday.
Hope every one has a great week. More later.

Lea's Journey to Adopt: Adoption Fundraising Store

2008-03-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

I have officially turned my ebay store into my Adoption Fundraising Store, to raise money for our adoption. I am going to be listing items each day to try to make money to afford the adoption. Please take a look and see if there are any items that might interest you and tell your friends if there are any items they might be interested in. I will mainly be listing girl's clothing. I have tons of jeans, dresses (some new with tags) and formal dresses to list. Click on the title above and it will take you to my store. I have some items listed for less than a dollar. I will be glad to combine shipping, just ask me. Please pray for us that we can raise the money we need.
Enjoy your weekend.
Lea

Fingerprinting Appointment Letter!

2008-03-24T19:57:00.000-07:00

I received my letter from USCIS for my fingerprinting appointment-April 1st-next Tuesday! My appointment is in Memphis close to where I lived for 11 years. Still working on my paperwork!

Dossier

2008-03-21T20:34:00.000-07:00

I received my instructions on preparing my paperwork for my Dossier yesterday. I am going to begin filling things out tomorrow. I am a procrastinator usually, but I am really going to work on them at least by Sunday. I want to try to take all of our pictures this weekend too if possible. My hair needs coloring again and Wal Mart was out of my color. So, the grey just may have to show through. Our yard does not look very good right now either. The grass is yellow from the winter and my flower beds look overgrown. I am really lazy when it comes to yard work, I normally hire it done except for the flower planting which me and the kids do.The first part of the dossier seems rather easy to prepare, it is the second part that I am worried about. How do you go about asking a Dr. to go get his letter notarized? And a letter from the mortgage company- I am in the process of getting the house transferred to me by my father, so I hope that won't take too long. Also, I kept my maiden name and married name and my passport has both, I hope this doesn't complicate things too much. I have most of my other documents together already. I have not discussed the adoption with my boss yet. When in the process, when did you tell your boss if you had a boss to tell?? I thought I might wait until I get a referral. Well I am extremely tired after doing nothing all day. More later.

Here is a Picture of Our Cats-Paris, Panther and Oreo

2008-03-21T19:13:00.000-07:00

Movies

2008-03-21T18:53:00.000-07:00

Drew saw the "Bee Movie" in Theatres back in November and had been anxiously awaiting the day it would come out on DVD. Last Tues. was the day and at 6:15 am Drew woke me up to tell me that "Today is the day Mom". Groggily, I said "What Drew?" Drew very awake and excited, informed me that "The Bee Movie comes out today, Mom, Mom, I think I need to stay home?" I asked him "Why Drew do you not feel well?" He replied" No, Mom, It's a Bee Movie Holiday and I need to stay home!" I just love my kids and Drew keeps us all laughing! He was very serious as Asperger's children always are. I had to explain to him that I would make sure that we would get the "Bee Movie" as soon as he got out of school. He was satisfied. Grandma bought it while I was at work and he was so excited when she gave it to him when she picked him up from school. He has watched it many times. It has some "adult" humor, but Drew does not get it. He is very concerned about the environment and how important Bees are since watching the movie.
Last Saturday, Drew and "Sister" (as he calls Lynlea most of the time) went to downtown Memphis to see "Horton Hears a Who". Drew loved it. He woke me up very early Sunday morning to tell me that it was almost as good as the "Bee Movie". He told me that "Mom, it does not matter what size you are, we are all human beings" and he said "Mom, it is very important not to mess with the Natural Order of things". My son is such a "deep" thinker. He really learned some important "lessons" from both of these movies.

Memphis Tigers

2008-03-21T18:23:00.000-07:00

Chance is a huge Memphis Tiger Fan. His Dad surprised him last Friday and checked him out early and took him to the Tigers Conference basketball game at the Fed Ex forum. They had tickets to sit in the Fed Ex Club Suite. Chance had a blast. If you are a big basketball fan, The Tigers are playing tonight in Little Rock against Texas Arlington. Chance and his Dad were unable to get tickets to this game, but Chance wanted to celebrate and cheer on the Tigers at home. Lynlea painted his hair blue and painted his face. Here is a picture! Go Tigers Go!!

It Feels Like Friday!

2008-03-20T10:40:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while, I have been busy at work and at home.
I received an email Tuesday, We have officially been accepted into the Russian Program! Finally!
So, now I am waiting on my letter to get my fingerprints from USCIS. The kids have been wild this week-four day week this week and they have their Spring Break next week. I have to work next week though, I am saving all of my time for our trip to Russia. Work has been crazy, new hires, job changes , people leaving. Luckily, I have been left alone, except I expect my job duties to increase even more. We still have a foster baby, rumor is ( I still have not heard from his DHS caseworker) from the CASA worker that he will be going to live with Grandma out of state within 3 weeks. He is realy sweet and minds very well. He is obsessed with food though. He wants to eat his food and whatever is left on everyone elses plates. He does this at daycare also. They have told me he just grabs the other children's food and starts eating it. I don't think this is because he did not get enough to eat at home as he is "huge" for a baby his age, I think it is because he uses food for comfort. I am debating on whether to take another foster while waiting for our referral or not. I have to get back to work, more later.

Homestudy Updated Again! Is this a Record?

2008-03-11T18:43:00.000-07:00

Ok, don't laugh, but on the request of my agency, my homestudy has been updated again. I think this is the 5th time. I am hoping that this is the final update necessary. I decided on a boy 3-5 years old. I still have the pink room and twin beds available.

Also, has anyone requested two children on their I600A and had to change it back to 1? Is this a big deal?What needs to be done?
Does anyone know?

Let it Snow!

2008-03-09T19:09:00.000-07:00

The kids were sick most of last week with diarrhea, tummy aches and Chance had Bronchitis/Asthma too.
Friday night, we had a blizzard literally. We hardly ever get snow, so this was really exciting for us. Saturday morning, we woke up to 3-4 inches and 6 inches in some drifts of snow. The kids were so excited. Here are some pictures. We also had already scheduled Chance's 10th birthday party. I was worried no one would come-he only invited 5 boys, but 3 showed up and stayed from 11am-6pm and one boy spent the night. Chance was so excited, he has never had a friend other than our foster children spend the night. His real birthday is the 13th( He was born on Friday the 13th- I have always said that he was my good luck baby and "Chance" means luck in French.) By Noon, our snow was almost gone.

Change in Homestudy Again

2008-03-03T17:50:00.001-08:00

I received a letter from my agency today asking that I change my homestudy to request only 1 child instead of two. Since I am a single mom and already have 3 children they thought it would be best to request only one child. I am a little sad, because I had in the back of my mind really wanted to adopt 2. But, God is in control - I truly believe that and I will accept one and be happy and if all works out ok and I want to adopt again later, then I will. So, I had to confirm my ages and sex preference again and have my homestudy revised again and sent back for review. I requested a boy 3-5 or a girl 7-10. This will not disrupt the birth order of my bio kids too much. I hope this won't mess up my I-600A since I said I was adopting 2 and now it is changing back to 1. If we adopt another boy, I have a really cute pink room with twin beds that will need remodeling. Chance has volunteered to share his room.
Drew was sick yesterday and last night running to the bathroom constantly and his fever got up to 104. So, he and I were up all night and Granny watched him today while I went to work. We all had flu shots, he is better today, I think it was just a virus.
Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

I mailed my I-600A

2008-02-29T21:38:00.000-08:00

I am excited! I mailed my I-600A today! I don't know why I feel so excited, because I know I still have a long time to wait and more paper work and things to be redone-fingerprinting for my USCIS, physicals, psych eval-good thing I work for a psychologist. But I am excited anyway! My social worker redid my homestudy and emailed me and copied my agency. So, now it has to be approved again since I am now approved for 2 kids over 5. I did not send in a copy with my I 600A. The social worker said that once she gets the approval from the agency, she will get it notarized and send in a revised copy to USCIS. So, back to the waiting game.

Go Tigers! Go!

2008-02-29T19:35:00.000-08:00

Chance got to go to the Memphis Tiger's game vs University of Central Florida 2 weekends ago with his dad at the Fedex Forum in Memphis. Chance got some silver and blue Mardi Gras beads as he walked in. Here he is in his "Number One" in the Nation Memphis Tigers shirt. Unfortunately, Memphis lost their game to Tennessee last weekend, their first loss this season. We were all sad to see the Tigers lose.

Stop Teasing My Children!!

2008-02-29T18:54:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted. I have been busy at work and at home. Drew got "suspended" from the bus and I have been having to drive him to school each day which is in another town and this takes me about 10 minutes each way plus I am having to take my foster son to daycare there also so, I am leaving at 7:15 and getting to work right on time at 8. I know this is no "commute" as I have driven an hour to and from work before, but I have been spoiled living only 5 minutes from work. But back to Drew and the bus suspension. First, you might wonder why is he riding the bus anyway? Well, the way our school district is set up my kids each go to a different school building at different locations and Drew's school is located in a different town even though it's in the same school district which is weird, but they have always done it this way~ as long as I can remember. Before Lynlea could drive( she has had her permit since 14 and legal since 16 with a car to boot~Thanks Pawpaw)I was trying to take them to 3 different schools and get to work on time. Traffic is horrible here and the trains block us and I just couldn't get the kids and me where we needed to go on time and add 4 foster kids which I had 4 plus my three for about 4 months and they all got accustomed to riding the bus even Drew. Drew loves routine, so this fall when Lynlea began driving to school, she said she would drop Chance off on her way, since his school is close to hers. Drew said he wanted to ride the bus. So, It worked up until now. Granted, Drew got an occasional bus report in the past, but 3 weeks ago the trouble began. I got the letter in the mail ( they don't send them home with the kids because they will "get lost"). The letter said Drew was disruptive and hit another child. When a child teases him or "invades" his space, he will push, shove or hit, otherwise, he is an angel~for the most part. I talked to Drew about it and he told me one boy-a fourth grader in Chance's class kept teasing him. I told him to try to ignore him and tell the driver. 2 weeks later, I get two more letters in the mail with every item possible checked and a suspension letter. So, I asked Drew what had happened, he said"they tease me and I can't inor (Drew's Pronunciation) them. I asked who and he gave me the same boy's name. So I called the principal and talked to her. He rides this bus about 8 minutes to another school and then changes busses. He always does fine on the second bus, because the boy that teases him doesn't get on the second bus. The principal said that I should just take him to school if possible. That really bothers me, because nothing is going to be done about this boy teasing him. So, I didn't make a stink, I have been driving him to school each day. I feel like calling the principal back and telling her they are going to have to make accommodations for him, but I was trying not to use the "disability" card, but I probably should stand up for his rights. Anyway, the positive side is he likes to ride with me and we get to talk each morning. The same boy started teasing Chance the latter part of this week. I may have to call the Principal at Chance's school regarding this boy.

Update on the Homestudy

2008-02-20T10:56:00.000-08:00

I made up my mind about the ages and sex and disabilities for my homestudy and emailed the info to my social worker to change my homestudy and resubmit to WACAP.
I requested a sibling group of one boy and one girl ages 5 to 10 or a boy 5-6 or a girl 10-11. I am really hoping for the boy-girl sibling group. Preferably older girl and younger boy. I decided not to elaborate on the special needs in my homestudy. I left it as "will accept a child with mild or correctable special needs. My daughter reminded me that I would have to take off for surgeries and trips to Little Rock if I had requested a child with disabilities that would need to be surgically corrected. My dear sweet daughter also told me when we were trying to decide on the age~"Mom, you are OLD. You don't want to be 60 when the kids graduate from high school." She made me feel really good.(sarcasm) I am only 43, people give birth at 43. She is sick with the flu today and granny is taking care of her. We were lazy over the weekend, we did absolutely no painting upstairs. Got to get back to the office, more later.

TGIF

2008-02-15T18:34:00.000-08:00

Finally it is Friday! I have had Bronchitis all week, but am feeling better now. But as all moms know, we really don't have time to be sick. I worked all week as usual.
Work was very busy and my head was foggy all week due to my self medication-I took Chance's asthma medicine, my Mom's antibiotics, and Robitussin. It worked.
The construction on Lynlea's room is almost done. They are halfway finished with the floor. The Heat/air unit is in. Lynlea and I have to finish painting. I will post some pics some time this weekend. We got progress reports and Lynlea and Drew have straight A's, Chance is not even trying, I guess he has the 4th grade slump.
Tuesday, I got a call from a lady-she said she was my foster son's CASA worker(Court Appointed Special Advocate). I was really excited because this is the first time one of my foster children has had a CASA worker. The CASA worker's job is to visit with all parties involved and report to the court/judge what the best interests of the child are. So, turns out I went to school with her stepkids. She came and visited with us Thursday night. She was really nice. She did not give me much information except that he was not living with his mom when he was taken into custody. So the mom is not in the picture and neither is the father. From what she said there is a Grandmother and an Aunt whom she was going to visit today. She confirmed that he had been hospitalized for physical abuse, which I had figured that out myself. She said that he really seemed to love his "big brothers" and that they seemed to love him too. Sooo, we will see what happens, I will not get my hopes up though. Also, he has some delays, he says only 3 really understandable words-momma,football, spongebob oh sorry 4 bobba-bottle. I haven't figured out if he can't talk or won't talk. He has a really bad tongue thrust and has tooth decay- they are literally rotted/black- bottom two teeth. It amazes me how such a young child can have rotten teeth.
So we are praying for the little guy.
Good news sort of- My homestudy was revised and sent back to WACAP for approval. while waiting, I had originally requested a boy or girl under age 4 with mild or correctable special needs. I have been reading blogs and have really been considering adopting an older child-up to age 10. Also, I have all along been considering a child with special needs-club foot or hemangioma-facial deformity. So before I got the results from WACAP, I emailed them and told them that I may want to revise the ages/ acceptance of disabilities and number of children-I am also considering two. Yes, I am a little crazy. I am just not 100% sure what ages and how to word all of this and my social worker wants me to make up my mind for sure what I want to do. She says that she thinks I am capable of handling 2 and the disabilities and really whatever ages I get. I have been praying all week and I told Lynlea that I want us to sit down and discuss it or discuss it while painting tomorrow. We have the Pink girls room with twin beds already ready for two precious girls if we should decide on girls-otherwise, I am going to have to do more painting in that room. I just need to know how to word the homestudy in order to receive referalls that I will be happy with. The money, I will come up with that somehow- I beleive that God does provide. So help me guys, help me make up my mind what to do. Oh almost forgot, WACAP emailed me late this afternoon and said that they had accepted my homestudy as it was, but since I wanted to make revisions, I would have to have my social worker send it in with the revisions and it would go back for approval. But, overall it sounds like good news.

Mid-South Autism Association Blog Link

2008-02-09T18:12:00.000-08:00

We had our monthly Autism support group meeting today. I created a blog for our group today. We are having a Walk to raise money for our group. Check it out by clicking on the title above. If you live nearby it will be a fun activity for the kids.
Today, 1 in 150 individuals is diagnosed with autism, making it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. It occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups and is four times more likely to strike boys than girls. Autism impairs a person's ability to communicate and relate to others. It is also associated with rigid routines and repetitive behaviors, such as obsessively arranging objects or following very specific routines. Symptoms can range from very mild to quite severe.

Since I am on the subject of Autism. Let me tell you about my Drew.
Drew was a 39 week baby, he weighed a whopping 9lbs 3 oz. I had a normal vaginal delivery at a hospital and was a chicken and had an epidural. He looked perfectly healthy to me. He had been home a few days when my husband's aunt came by and I noticed she kept whispering to my sister-in-law's and finally she said I think something is wrong with this baby. She pointed out that one side of his neck was sunken in and tight feeling and his head leaned toward that side. I was concerned, so I took him to the pediatrician who diagnosed him with Torticollis- in English it means tight neck muscles. We began Physical Therapy 5 days a week and this continued for a year. After a year he could hold his head up. He still has a slight tilt that is hardly noticable. Around 8 weeks old the pediatrician pointed out that Drew was not focusing and his eyes were wandering. I didn't think much of it- both me, my husband, Lynlea and Chance wore glasses due to lazy eyes. The Pediatric Opthamoligist confirmed that his eyes were not "working together" and my 2 month old needed glasses. We had our fitting and went back 2 weeks later to pick up the glasses for my little man. I noticed Drew had a raised blue spot between his left eye and his nose. I personally thought that Chance had whopped him with a toy. The
optometry assistant put his glasses on him and took them back off again and I saw her looking at the blue spot. She told me she would be back in a few minutes. She came back and escorted me to a room and said the Opthamologist wanted to see me. I thought oh no, they are going to think that I have abused my baby or something. The doctor came in and said for me to hold him facing forward so that he could examine him. He got his light and began looking in Drew's eyes. I explained that I thought my two year old might have hit him with a toy. The doctor called another doctor in and they
both looked at Drew. I was thinking what in the world are they looking at. They went out and he was gone about 15 minutes and came back. He told me that Drew had a tumor and he had made him an appointment with an Opthamolic Oncologist at UT and that I should go straight to his office. So, I am thinking this Doctor can't be right, it's just a little blue place. I drove right over and told them who I was. I signed some papers and sat down. There were probably 50 people in the waiting room and I hadn't been there 5 minutes and they called me back. Now I am starting to worry a little. Once again two doctors come in and examine him. They told me that it was a tumor. I asked if it was cancer and they said they didn't know. They scheduled a tear duct probe at LeBonheur in Memphis. They said it was a tumor for sure. We asked again if it was cancerous and said they didn't know. They just wanted to watch it. I went back to my pediatrician and relayed the information and asked what he would do if it was his son and he ordered an MRI. We found out thankfully it was a vascular tumor-a hemangioma-non cancerous.
The oncologist and pediatrician said just leave it alone. I was satisfied and not worried now because Lynlea had a hemangioma when she was little on the back of her head smaller than a baseball but larger than a golf ball. Her hair grew over it and she still has it. Drew did everything late-crawling, walking. Drew and Chance both were over two almost 3 before they began talking. His hemangioma aka boo boo began growing. It was growing internally and externally and he couldn't wear his glasses because they would not fit over his boo boo. I got ugly comments like is your baby retarded? I would reply sarcastically-No, He has a tumor. It is amazing how quickly they shut up. We all loved Drew just the way was. We really didn't even notice his boo boo. One day my husband met a couple and their daughter. He asked when her hemangioma first came up and they were shocked that he knew what it was. They told him about Arkansas Children's Hospital and the wonderful Dr. Milton Waner and Dr. Lisa Buckmiller(she adopted her daughter from China). Drew is 18 months old now, we called and sent pictures and they wanted to see Drew right away. It normally takes months to get in. They scheduled his surgery for the following week. The surgery took 4 1/2 hours and the boo boo was gone. Today, Drew's scar is hardly noticable.

Drew had a severe reaction to eating a piece of his brother's left over peanut butter jelly sandwich. He had hives all over and began having trouble breathing. I immediately gave him Benadry and took him to the Dr. He now wears a Medik Alert bracelet and has an Epi Pen for emergencies. He is allergic to all peanut products, oils, etc. He cannot have anything related to peanuts.
That was the beginning of Drew's self inflicted restricted diet. He began eating less and less. He also did not want other kids to touch him, he would scream. He was constantly biting kids at Church and daycare. At an early age, he liked his toys a certain way. He would stack things and line things up and no one better touch them. His speech did not improve, I could understand him but hardly anyone else could. I was constantly prompting him to "look at mommy, use your words". My husband and I divorced when he was 2. So that makes him my ex husband. By the time Drew reached 4, he had developed many qurks and was very routine oriented. He fell in love with Batman and was obsessed with everything batman. His favorite color is black. He wanted his room painted black. I convinced him that Batman's favorite color was blue not black. He insisted on wearing a cape everywhere, everyday. Even at daycare. I obliged to prevent the fall in the floor, kicking and screaming fits. 2 weeks of 4 year old kindergarten at a private Christian school and I received the call from the director. I am sorry but he cannot go to school here any longer. You need to have him tested and try to get him into the "special school". I learned he had spent most of that two weeks under a table at school. Poor baby. I called the "special school" and they explained that it was a looong process. She told me of a program through the public school system and gave me the name of the lady that ran the program. I called and she said they had to screen him, test him, to determine if he qualified. It was through this program that Drew got his first diagnosis-Receptive Language disorder and Articulation disorder. They commented that he had an extremely large vocabulary for a 4 year old however he did not act like he understood what was being said to him. He began speach therapy. He didn't like being around children other than family members. We tried letting him play soccer, he would just spin and would either sit down and hide his head or walk off the field in the middle of a game. He does not like crowds~ he says they freak him out. My daughter took him to a Red Bird's baseball game the noise was too loud for him. He began holding his ears and yelling that he had to leave. In Wal Mart, the checker put his candy in the same bag as his brother's Peanut Butter cups. He took off running down the front of the store screaming and sat down and held his head and started rocking.Also, Drew always has a hard time understanding when we are joking. He would always look at me very cluelessly and say "oh you are just joking mom." He will also repeat my name 15 times while I am looking at him and answering him." What Drew? Drew, what do you want? Mom, mom, mom, mom," It's like he can't get his words together. To him every word he hears has a literal meaning. His sister mentioned wanting to skip school and he asked "Do you jump over it?" No smile on his face mind you, very serious.
It wasn't until I began working for a Children and Family Counseling Services group and began working and talking daily to therapists and our psychologist that I realized that Drew's quirks, routines, fit throwing, and limited diet might be something other than a language disorder combined with a bratty child. One of the therapists told me that she thought that Drew had Asperger's~a form of Autism. She said that I should get him tested by our in house Psychological Examiner. I did and the results were confirmed Drew had ADD and Asperger's Autism.
Since, the 4 year old program, he has had the most wonderful, patient caring teachers who have always been genuinely concerned about him. He finished Kindergarten, Pre 1st and is now in the 1st grade. He has been in a regular classroom and was pulled out for Special Education services. This year I got a call from the Special Ed Coordinator asking to meet with me~ She told me that Drew no longer needed Math and Reading Special Ed Services, but he would continue his speech therapy. I am so proud of how far he has come. This last 9 weeks he made straight A's.

Freaking Out

2008-02-08T09:09:00.001-08:00

Ok, I am really freaking out. The Social Worker emailed me the list WACAP sent her and it is a full page long. Asking what my daughter's relationship is with her father Answer non existant. Asking why I had my kidney out. Ok my physical form states I am healthy now and on no meds whatsoever. Next, the big kicker. My house is only worth so and so and she only makes so and so, so how can she do this. Ok If you haven't guessed, we live in Arkansas in a town with population 11,000. Our cost of living is low, very low, my house note is only $695 per month and most of you have seen the inside of my house at least via pictures. Also, they questioned my time off work- 3 weeks vacation plus FMLA. I am a single mom what do they want me to say. I am really frustrated/worried right now. Pray that WACAP will accept me, I will get the money somehow..

More Homestudy Info

2008-02-07T18:02:00.000-08:00

I got my homestudy copy in the mail today. I found a few errors- first of all my name. I kept my maiden name and my married name-not hyphenated though, since I have children with both last names. She put my maiden name in parentheses which is really incorrect. So I have to email her about that tomorrow. Also, WACAP emailed me and said they sent it back to her because they found a few errors, but they did not say what. She also referred to my house as an apartment once also. Overall, it was really good though. More later

We survived the Storms

2008-02-06T18:20:00.000-08:00

If you watched the national weather, you probably saw the Tornadoes that hit Memphis and the Mid South. After the first round had passed us. I put the baby to bed and decided to get a shower. I had just gotten out and wrapped a towel around me when I heard the kids yell that there was one over our area. I didn't have time to get dressed when the lights went out and the sirens began going off . I told the boys to get in the utility room~ they were panicked worried about the animals. Luckily, I had some candles lit as a precaution. Lynlea got the baby and I quickly got dressed. The boys, Lynlea and Tiger, our Sheltie, got in the Utility room and me and the baby and the other two dogs Angel and Bear got in the Pantry room. The cats were no where to be found. Thankfully the tornadoes passed over and we weren't in there very long.
We just had rain and hi winds.

Homestudy

2008-02-05T10:33:00.000-08:00

I received an email from WACAP this morning and they have received my homestudy via email from the local agency and should either approve or send it back for changes within 48 hours. Question-did you send in your I600A without your homestudy? I have requested a copy to send in with my I600 A form which I haven't sent in yet.
Got to get back to work, I am home on my lunch break. We are expecting "Tornado" weather. More later....

Lazy Saturday

2008-02-02T14:52:00.000-08:00

My boys went to their dad's house today. So it has been just me, Lynlea and "Max"~ we nicknamed our foster child "Max". He would not answer to his own name so... He has been a good boy. Besides momma and football, he also says spongebob. Beverly-whom I used to work with asked if he was a keeper. Well, I was told he has an Aunt, so more than likely he will stay the standard 45 days and will go home to Mom or to the Aunt. After 19 foster kids now, I try not to get my hopes up or get too attached. I have had my heart broken so many times already hoping that one would be adoptable. I read an article about adoptive parents with attachment disorder on Rainbow Kids. I think I have developed my own attachment type disorder with the foster children to keep my heart from getting too broken. I just keep reminding myself of how the system works here and that 90% of the children are reunited with a family member. My only adoption referrals through the state were older children and when I inquired further about one 8 year old girl, I was told they preferred a two parent family. I thought I would at least foster until I get a referral for a Russian child. I think I will have no problem attaching to a child I am actually able to adopt. I am still debating about the age of the child I would like to adopt.
Part of me says only a child 3 and under to maintain the birth order of the kids. Another part of me would not mind an older child. I have had both good and very bad experiences with older children in foster care. Sex of the child does not matter to me. Your feedback would be appreciated.
Rony asked if my state was Alaska or Alabama-answer is neither one. Guess again.
Lynlea has been painting her new room today and I have been mopping. I need to do laundry and paperwork.
Hope everyone has a great day!

I've been tagged by Beverly -7 weird things about me

2008-02-01T18:45:00.000-08:00

Beverly
http://glenysluckymama.blogspot.com/ I can't do the link thing...
1. My real name is Lea Angela~pronounced Lee~ My real old friends call me Lea and my Parents and new friends call me Lea Ann.

2. I had a kidney removed a little over two years ago. I am healthy now.

3. When I was growing up, two of my best friends names were Fairy and Princess.
These are their real names, no kidding. Princess now goes by her middle name Rose. Princess if you're reading this~ I love you!!

4. I was never married to my daughter's father, he left me when I was 3 months pregnant. I was very ashamed to be a single unwed mom at 26. He moved away and changed his name. I found him/child support enforcement found him 12 years later. He told my daughter he is the son of an Indian chief~so she is an Indian princess( he's a little crazy literally). He later married my cousin's ex wife. So some of my daughter's cousins are also her step brothers. Can you guess where we live? It starts with an A. ha! ha!

5. I am a hoarder~ I find it very hard to get rid of things. I love really old things, newspaper clippings, old pictures of family I don't even know, books. I also will pick up "good stuff" off the side of the street. It's not as easy since I no longer have my suburban.

6. If I lose something I will not sleep until I find it.

7. My favorite pair of shoes are a pair of Liz Clairborne brown seude. I bought them at a garage sale for $1 The stitching on one side has come loose and they look ragged, but they are so comfortable, my daughter threatens to video me for "What Not to Wear".

My Ugly Brown Shoes- I didn't realize how bad they looked until I took this picture~ I think I will throw them away.

We have a New Child (Foster Child That Is)

2008-01-31T18:15:00.000-08:00

We have a new child tonight. DHS called me today. I have been turning them down because they have been calling me for older kids, but today they called me for a Toddler boy and I said yes. Ok for you who have never fostered, the only information I received on him was name,age and a two word reason why he is being placed. He came with a diaper bag with about 12 diapers, wipes, and clothes that reaked with smoke odor(they smelled more like pot than meth~fostering has taught me the difference in the smells). He is a cutie,brown hair green eyes and a little chunk. He knew two words mommy and football. Chance turned his playstation football game on and he kept clapping and yelling football. We washed all his clothes twice in hot water and he got a nice warm bath. We moved the baby bed back into the house and he went straight to bed when I laid him down. I cheated and gave him a bottle. I always give my toddlers a bottle for comfort at bedtime. I have daycare set up for tomorrow. DHS pays for daycare for my foster children. The boys liked him, Chance was whiny tonight he forgot everthing he needed to study for his test for tomorrow.
More later.

100th Day of School

2008-01-30T16:10:00.000-08:00

Today was the 100th day of school. The kids at the K-1st school always make T-shirts with 100 items to celebrate the day. Drew wanted a "bee" shirt~ he loves the "Bee Movie". Here he is before heading off to school...

Picture Crazy

2008-01-27T17:16:00.001-08:00

I went a little picture crazy, Lynlea, my daughter showed me how. Enjoy.

Welcome to Our Home!

2008-01-27T14:08:00.000-08:00

A Short Week

2008-01-27T11:32:00.001-08:00

This was a short week for the kids any way. They were out of school Monday for Martin Luther King Day and Friday they got out at 1:30 because everyone thought it was suppose to ice or snow. Nothing happened weather wise~it was just cold. I have taken on new duties at work and things are going great so far. The kids behaved this week. No major fights or refusing to go to school or no faking being sick~yes~ Chance, I am talking about you. The boys knew their spelling words. Drew's bonus word of the week was Wilderness. We are having our attic finished for a 5th bedroom. The contractors started this project December 15th and I have had a hole in my attic since then. They finally got the insulation and sheet rock done. I have a board over the window. The actual glass for the window is still sitting in my garage. Hopefully they will finish this really soon. The "new" bedroom is going to be Lynlea's room. I will post some pictures of the house that I have taken for our adoption stuff. Also, spoke to the Lady who did my International adoption homestudy and she said she should be finished this coming week. It has been over a month now and I am getting a little impatient. So, I am waiting on my finished homestudy to file my I600A. I filed my federal taxes and am getting a nice little chunk back which will go to pay for finishing the attic. I have read some really wonderful blogs this weekend and added them to my blog list. I pray that everyone has a wonderful week ahead.

2008-01-27T11:24:00.001-08:00

These are pictures of my children. The oldest is my daughter Lynlea who is 16. Chance is the second oldest and he is going to be turning 10 in March. Last but not least is Andrew who is 7.

(Lynlea)

(Chance)

(Andrew)

A Very Busy Week

2008-01-18T18:42:00.000-08:00

This has been an extremely busy week at work and at home. I had my foster home annual review today. It went fine. She made me climb on some furniture to test the smoke alarm in one of the kids rooms. She made me turn on the bathroom faucet until the water got hot, flush the toilet, and run some water in the bathtub. So, I guess if you have hot water and your toilets flush you make a good foster parent. Sorry, I think it was just a perfect waste of my house cleaning time as well as my lunch break. You might wonder why I am still fostering~Well, I had to complete all the same stuff for my international home study and thought ok, I will renew it. The last foster children I had went home on October 30th and i have been taking a break since then. My bio kids and I have enjoyed having the house to ourselves again. This was also report card week and my precious 7 year old first grader-Drew- made straight A's. He has Asperger's Austism-very highly intelligent we are finding out and bonus spelling word of the week was Poisonous. He loves learning all these really hard words for 1st graders. My middle child, Chance, 9, pulled out Honor Roll somehow. He loves to fake being sick so he can stay home and play video games. My big girl Princess Lynlea-16-maintained a 3.7 GPA Yea. I am hoping for a scholarship. So this has been my life this week taking care of my 3 angels and our 3 dogs, 1 cat and 2 kittens.

2008-01-13T16:38:00.000-08:00

Welcome to my Blog. I am a single 40 something year old mom to 3 bio kids- a teenage daughter 16, and two sons 9 and 7. We are hoping to expand our family by adopting. We have had a licensed foster home for over a year and fostered 18 children, in the hopes of adopting. All of them were reunited with a family member. So, I have given up on my chances of adopting through the US Foster Care System. I have decided to adopt from Russia. I have chosen my agency and here is an update of where I am on the adoption road.. My homestudy visits were done before Christmas- my homestudy is not ready yet. I had a foster/adopt domestic homestudy done last year, but had to have another done for International. I have finished all my classes. I have finished most of my paperwork. Haven't filed my I-600 A yet. My only worry is having enough money to do this. I am praying every day. I also worry about leaving the boys for such long periods of time. My big girl-my teenage daughter will probably come with me. I am hoping for a raise at work. Please say a prayer for me and the kids. This has been a dream of mine- to adopt since before my own children were born. I am an adult adoptee and have wonderful parents and want so badly to give a child a good home and lots of love. So welcome and come along with me on my journey through life and my journey to adopt.