25 reasons why I love my mother...

Ok. I admit I stole this from another blog, but it was TOO good not to share with the rest of the world and it made me smile!
1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE . 'If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.2. My mother taught me RELIGION. 'You better pray that will come out of the carpet.'3. My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL . 'If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!'(Ok that one was my dad) 4. My mother taught me LOGIC. ' Because I said so, that's why.'5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC . 'If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me.'6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT. 'Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident.'7. My mother taught me IRONY 'Keep crying, and I'll give you something to cry about.'8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS. 'Shut your mouth and eat your supper' 9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM . 'Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck?'10. My mother taught me about STAMINA. 'You'll sit there until all that spinach is gone.'11. My mother taught me about WEATHER. 'This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it.'12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY. 'If I told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!'13. My mother taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE . 'I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.'14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION. 'Stop acting like your father!'15. My mother taught me about ENVY. 'There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do.'16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION. 'Just wait until we get home.'17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING . 'You are going to get it when you get home!'18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE. 'If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way.'19. My mother taught me ESP. 'Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you are cold?' 20. My mother taught me HUMOR. 'When that lawn mower cuts off your foot, don't come running to me.'21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT . 'If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up.'22. My mother taught me GENETICS. You're just like your father.'23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS. ' Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?'24. My mother taught me WISDOM. 'When you get to be my age, you'll understand.'25. And my favorite: My mother taught me about JUSTICE 'One day you'll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you.'

Finally... Here are some much anticipated pictures!

I finally have a cord so that I can download pictures of our little cutie pie! He is full of mischief and always on the go! Though I can't prove it, I believe the missing camera cord can be traced to one little man about 31 inches tall and 22 pounds. He loves to explore Mommy's purse and other packages of interest. I'm sure I'll find the cord in a corner or shoved in a cushion of the couch one day. Alas, I have a new cord and can finally post pictures. I just feel the blog is so boring when new pictures aren't posted with my ramblings.On February 5th we went to my school to watch a basketball game. Isaac tired of the basketball game and found the storage closet by the court. We had fun exploring. What could be more fun that a room filled with balls!?!?!?!?

We went to the 10th annual Florida Wetland's Festival at Ft. Christmas on February 7th. What a blast! This picture looks adorable, but the little guy only kept the hat and glasses on long enough for Mommy to snap this cute picture. His bib says, "Small, Dark, & Handsome" It was a lot of fun, Isaac had several first experiences at the festival: he got to meet our dear friends Matthew & Mary, he got to taste honey for the first time and it was a hit, he got to pet a skunk (no picture, Mommy forgot the camera at the stroller), an alligator (how cool!), and he got to "drive" the firetruck and go into an ambulance (how very, very FUN!). He was asleep about 2 mintutes after we left the parking lot! It was a very exciting day for Isaac, and his parents.

We have discovered that our little guy loves sushi! We went out to our favorite Chinese restaurant and ordered sushi to go with our buffet. Part of the reason we love this restaurant so much is they are always happy to see us. It feels like we are part of the family and when Mom & Dad don't come with us they ask about them. If Mom & Dad go without us, they ask about us. We love to go there because they care that we come. :o) I tried to get the picture as he was getting the piece of sushi, but I only succeeded in getting him as he started to take his hand away. Yummy!

On March 2nd we went for our 18 month check-up, which was basically a 19 month check-up. Grandpa came with us to keep us company because we had to get shots. Mommy & Grandpa were both very pleased that Isaac didn't really complain about the shots. However, when the doctor left before the nurse came back he decided that it was time to go, clothed or not!

Isaac loves water! On Tuesday I decided it was WAY past time to give poor Pepper a bath. We got dressed in our swimsuits and headed out back. After Pepper's bath Isaac still wanted to play in the water so I turned his sandbox (which has no sand...poor kid) into a swimming pool. As I was putting water into the pool, Isaac grabbed my hand and lifted it up high enough so that he could drink from the hose!! I wish that I would have had my camera. The next day we played in the water again and he wanted to drink from the hose again. This time I was prepared. What a cutie! He looks so happy! I was completely astonished because he has never seen any of us drink from the hose. I don't know where he got this from.

So there was my update! I am going to try to be better about this and to keep my cutie pie from my electronic toys and all of their pieces! Until next time!

Gotta find that cord for my camera!

I have got to find the cord so that I can download pictures from my camera and update my blog with more wonderful pictures of my sweet little Isaac! Yesterday he ran up to Daddy, patted his leg, and then gave him the biggest hug! Today he crawled up on my lap and gave Mommy a big hug! Yeah!! We're making good progress. When we first came home I couldn't get a toothbrush anywhere near his mouth. I don't know when it happened, but now Isaac loves brushing his teeth. Mommy brushes them first and then Isaac gets a turn. I have the cutest picture, but alas no cord for the camera. On Friday night we went out to our favorite Chinese restaurant, they totally love Isaac, so that helps us want to continue going back! :o) They have a sushi bar and we ordered California rolls and something else (not sure what - I'm not really a sushi fan, Craig likes it though) and Isaac LOVED the California rolls! Another cute picture I hope to post soon. Now that Daddy has started his new job Isaac goes to visit Aunt Wendy every day for "school." He really loves to go play with the other children at Aunt Wendy's house. Daddy takes Isaac to school and Mommy picks him up in the afternoon. We are trying to settle into a new routine now that Isaac isn't home all day long. It seems like we can't get into a rhythm since we get home around 4:00 and are in bed by 7:30. 3 1/2 hours doesn't seem like long enough to hang out but any longer Isaac gets too tired to have fun with. He loves the bath so now we head to the bath right after dinner. Sometimes the night seems too rushed for Mommy.

The Bloggy Awards

Can you believe it? I won a blogger award. How fun! This award was bestowed upon me by Tricia at (http://thejoysofmommy.blogspot.com/). I don't know how to do the hyperlink thingy in blogger and I don't think it would work if I copied & pasted it from Word. It is now my honor and privilege to impart the honor to eight other bloggers whose amusing blogs inspire me to put in some creativity as I tell the story of our Love’s Journey that is leading us to our children.

It is now your mission to distribute this award to eight bloggers who then must select eight more bloggers and so on to infinity. :o)

"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find friends and be friends.They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships will be propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly- written text into the body of their award."

Each of these women inspire me in different ways. Some of their blogs are in languages that I can't read (sadly) but I still like to check up on their pictures because our children share a story since they are from the same orphanage in Dongguan. They are in no particular order so please stop by and check out their stories.

1. Kathy at (http://lindseyli.blogspot.com/)
2. Deb at (http://theinvisibleredthread.blogspot.com/)
3. Joy at (http://twototsandateen.blogspot.com/)
4. Becky at (http://theulrickgang.blogspot.com/)
5. Christina at (http://fra2til3.blogspot.com/)
6. Ohilda at (http://www.deliveredfromheaven.blogspot.com/)
7. Kennedy at (http://yangzhoufundraising.blogspot.com/)
8. Sharon at (http://teagues6.blogspot.com/)

Musings of a Mommy

If one thing is certain it's that with a little one roaming the house nothing is certain. Yesterday while playing with Isaac, preparing dinner, and doing about a hundred other things he reached up and grabbed the remote control that controls the ceiling fan in the kitchen. The next thing I know napkins are flying around the living room and I can't find the remote control. I got down on the floor at his level and wandered around the kitchen area trying to find the remote, about 30 minutes later I found it in the laundry hamper in our bedroom. I had just about resigned myself to having the fan on full blast and the lights at the highest level. Thank goodness that I was able to find it before it got buried under a mountain of clothing!


On Monday while playing with Isaac I decided that he didn't really need all 120 blocks that go with his set at one time so I carefully dumped about 1/2 of the bag onto the floor and explained that Mommy only wanted to set out a few of his blocks. Isaac was not happy with that verdict and proceeded to pick up the bag with the remaining blocks and open the closet door (it's a bi-fold sliding door that came off of the slider so he can pull it open) , walk into the closet, and pull the door shut behind himself. For a brief second, I was like, "Wow! How ingenious my son is! He wanted the blocks and now he has them." Then I was like, "That little stinker! I can't believe that he rejected the blocks I set out for him. I can't believe that he snuck into the closet to play with the other blocks!" Not long after that thought crossed my mind a new thought crept into my consciousness, "My poor little baby thinks that Mommy is trying to keep the good toys away from him. He doesn't trust me to make sure that he has toys to play with." My heart ached, it still aches. I gently called to him. "Isaac! Isaac! Come see Mommy sweetheart!" He pushed open the closet door and started coming towards me. I then directed him to bring his toys to me. "Isaac bring Mommy your blocks." I repeated a few times while pointing to the toys he had dragged into the closet. I then drew Isaac onto my lap as I unzipped the bag and allowed Isaac access to the blocks. I know that he didn't understand my words, but I tried to explain to him that I wanted him to have the toys and that I didn't want to keep things from him. He went on to play with his blocks, well wade through them as if they were waves at the beach and then moments later we were on to a new toy.


Today we had another sad experience. Every day after I pick him up from Aunt Wendy's house we come home and have a healthy snack. My little guy eats like a horse! I swear this kid can eat non-stop. I have heard of children eating themselves sick, and thankfully Isaac has never done that, but at the same time I worry because he eats so much and I don't want him to develop unhealthy eating habits that he will have a difficult time unlearning at a later age. So I thought it would be a good idea if I measured out the Cheerios so that I knew how much he ate. I got a small cup that measured out to be one cup of Cheerios and gave him a few on his tray like I usually do. The problem is that he saw the cup where I had placed his snack and started crying because he wanted the big cup full of Cheerios. I picked him up out of his high chair and walked around hugging him to distract him from his sorrows, I mean he had been happy as a clam when I put him into the highchair for his snack, and put most of the Cheerios back into the box and then let him have the container. Eventually we were happy and went through the rest of our snack time in a relatively calm manner and had fun as we waited on Daddy to come home.

So now I am perplexed. Twice this week Isaac has had a melt-down of sorts because he perceived that I was keeping something back from him because I don't love him or who knows what. With the toys, I just wanted to limit the mess because as any parent knows, children are huge mess makers and I was tired. With the Cheerios, I was curious. Does he really eat as much as I think he does? Let's measure it. So, what do I do? I guess I could pre-measure some Cheerios into a baggie and put the baggie in the box. He's used to seeing me pull a few Cheerios out of the box so that wouldn't be odd to him. What really breaks my heart is that I think he doesn't trust me to do good things for him. I try to tell him what a Mommy does and what a Mommy's job is. I read somewhere that an adoptive mom did that once and her daughter was surprised. She (the daughter) didn't know the Mommy's job and was quite happy to learn what her Mommy's role was, so I thought as I experience things with Isaac it would be good to let him know the Mommy's job.

On another note, perhaps that is how God feels towards us. He places things out there for us to enjoy and sometimes He holds things back from us. When we see that He kept something back we become so focused on what we can't have, what we perceive He is keeping back from us out of meanness that we don't enjoy the things that He has placed right there for us to enjoy. Perhaps my focus on the things He is saying "no" or "not yet" to cause my Father to feel a pain in His heart that is similar to the pain in my heart tonight. Oh the joys of parenthood. Oh how it makes us look at things in a different light.

Yeah!!! & a 3 month update

Yeah!! The day that we have all been waiting for, but nobody more than Isaac. Today when I came home and looked into his mouth I didn't see any of his stitches so Craig and I decided that we could say "bye-bye" to the no-nos. Here Isaac is holding them up, just a few minutes before he was crying because he thought I wanted to put them back on. I told him, "It's OK Isaac. Mommy isn't going to put them on, you take them." So he took them and stopped crying. What I really need is a new & updated picture with his hands in his mouth. To all of those who wondered if 6 weeks without being able to suck his thumb would break the habit, the answer is an unequivocal NO! We spent the past 38 days helping Isaac cope with having to sleep without his thumb and taking toys away that found a way to make it into his mouth even with the no-nos. I've got to say I've gotten really quick with a hand to keep his hands out of his mouth and a loud "NO ISAAC!!!" when he reached for his mouth. Tonight we let him feed himself some macaroni noodles and I almost panicked when he put his hand in his mouth. Luckily I remembered it was OK before I scared him to death at dinner. :o)

So here we are 3 months after we stepped off from an airplane and onto US soil in Los Angeles. So much has happened that it doesn't seem like it could have all been jammed packed into a period as short as 3 months. So, let's take a little walk down memory lane and highlight some of our most memorable events. I hope that I picked photos that are new and that I didn't repeat any of the old ones that are already on the blog.
Time really flew when we were in China. Here we are getting ready to leave the Holiday Inn in Guangzhou and head to the US Consulate for Isaac's swearing-in ceremony before we go to the airport to travel home.
Finally after 36 L-O-N-G hours in airports we are HOME!!

What a lucky little boy! A Mommy to love me. A doggie to love. And a Grandpa that thinks I'm the best!

Not long after Isaac came home he got to go to Holden Park for his very first picnic. Auntie Tina and Olivia are in the picture with him. Uncle Sean and Ethan were also part of this fun day. Isaac had fun with the other kids and he LOVED the playground, especially the swings.

One of the most exciting changes for Isaac has come in the dining department. When we first came home he didn't want to eat anything with more texture than a mashed potato. In fact he really didn't develop a taste for things with texture until about a week or so before his surgery, so just as he figured out how delicious certain foods were we had to take them away. We've just begun to add regular foods back into his diet in the past week. One of the best things about eating regular food is sneaking some treats to your pet doggie!
2008 was certainly an exciting year to become an American citizen. Just a few days after coming home Isaac went to vote with Mommy & Daddy. It was a very close Presidential race and everyone has different political views. I hope that we can all agree to pray for President Obama and ask that God would bless him with wisdom as he leads our country in these difficult times.

Some things surprise me. Other things amaze me. God often astounds me! I would look into Isaac's mouth and wonder how a surgeon could ever correct his palate. Yet, wonder of wonder, miracle of miracles, on December 15th God blessed the hands of Dr. Ruiz as he worked to correct the bilateral cleft in Isaac's palate. At times we wondered if we would make it through the liquid diet, the restricted diet, and the no-nos, but today when I looked into his mouth it looked perfect and complete. I can say that I am totally amazed that God has gifted the doctor's and surgeon's in their ability to perform this surgery!

Isaac's first kiss. Kyra just loves Isaac. The first several times he went to visit she would come right up and give him a big old kiss. Poor little Isaac didn't know what was going on. As far as I know the kissing has subsided. The last few times he's spent time with Kyra Mommy wasn't there so I'm not sure what happened, but Wendy didn't report on new kisses.Isaac loves Music and he really loves it when Grandpa plays music for him. He loves to pick up a harmonica or strum on the mandolin or the guitar.

When Isaac first joined our family he couldn't walk on his own, now he runs. He was primarily on a formula diet, now he drinks milk. He was a silent little guy, now he's babbling up a storm. He didnt' really know how to play with toys, now he can build a tower of three blocks. We've seen so many changes and we are excited to see what the next three months will bring. Will he say his first words? Will he learn to use the potty? (Hey, a Mommy and Daddy can hope!!) I'm not sure what the next three months hold, but I do know that they will be full of continued adventure and lots of love.

Will these stitches EVER come out?!?!?!

Hi, today was day 35 post-op and we are beginning to wonder if our little guy's stitches will ever come out! Ok, maybe I'm being a little melo-dramatic here since at the beginning he had 52 stitches and now it looks like there are less than 10. We still have Isaac wearing his no-nos the majority of the time and for sleeping because he keeps trying to get his hands in his mouth.
I'm most concerned about 4 of the stitches. 3 of them are right up by his front teeth and one is in the exact center of his mouth. There are a few others near the very back of his mouth.
Our next appointment with the surgeon is on Feb. 4th. He said that once all of the stitches come out we can ditch the no-nos, even if it is before we come back in. Isaac has been so very patient and accepting of the no-nos, but today he resorted to opening a kitchen cabinet and chewing on it so that he could get something into his mouth. On one hand I was proud of his ingenuity, on the other... Well it was a kitchen cabinet and I think it would be safer to have him suck his thumb.

Merry Christmas!

Everyone knows how hard it can be to get a good picture of little ones on Christmas because they are always on the go! Isaac loved the brightly wrapped packages with their ribbons and bows. We celebrated on Christmas Eve because Dad has to work today and by the time he gets home Zoe has to go spend Christmas with her Mom. I've never celebrated early, but it was nice. As everyone warned us Isaac's favorite "gifts" were the boxes his toys came in and the wrapping paper. He was very excited about the airplane that he opened up as his first gift, it's the same one he got to play with while in the hospital and he really likes it.

At our post-op appointment on December 23rd we got the all clear to give Isaac soft foods like the stage 2 baby foods. At first he wasn't too excited about it, but yesterday he ate six containers and several sippy cups of formula. Poor little man, he loves to eat and feed himself and we can't wait until he gets the all clear. The doctor said that things are progressing very nicely and to keep up with the no-nos and restricted diet until we visit on January 7th.

How do you teach a child his name? When we went to the ENT Isaac had hearing test with the audiologist and we discovered that his hearing was pretty bad. She said it was like he was hearing everything underwater because he had so much fluid in his ears. The doctors said that we would notice a dramatic change once he got his tubes on the 15th when he had his palate surgery. I have noticed that his walking improved dramatically even when he had wires attached to his one foot, so maybe it helped improve his balance. He started spinning in circles with his arms out yesterday like little kids have the habit of doing. We call his name but he doesn't respond. He will look when we're talking or when he hears other sounds, but doesn't seem to respond to his name. Very odd. I guess no child has ever started school not knowing their name and it will come in time.

Surgery & Recovery Update

Well, all I can say is that it has been a very long six days! I had found a computer in the waiting room near Isaac's room in the hospital, but posting on blogger was blocked. Then when I got home and had full access to a computer I have been too tired to get online for longer than a minute here or there to catch up on e-mail or find answers to my post-surgery questions. Dr. Ruiz said that Isaac did better than excellent in surgery and that things are going well. This first picture is in the pre-op area where we waited for about 90 minutes before Isaac went back for surgery. They gave him a cute little teddy bear (hiding behind the drum) and a beautiful quilt with whales on it (behind Isaac) when we were checked into our room. The quilt was made by a lady in Christmas, Florida who makes them to donate to the children in the hospital. It was so nice and made us feel special.

As if the waiting during surgery wasn't excruciating enough we had to wait for a very long time to see Isaac after he came out of recovery. It took him over an hour to come out of the anesthesia well enough for him to be moved into his room. As they wheeled him around the corner he reached for me, but I couldn't hold him until we were in our room. It was so hard to see his little face all swollen up and his little body hooked up to IVs and monitors. He loved to be held and still mainly wants to be snuggled as he recovers.

Kids must be pretty resilient because the next day he wanted to play with toys. The people from the play room came and brought Isaac a few toys to play with. He really loved the airplane and we are trying to find one to give him for Christmas. Still swollen, but starting to look more normal.

Who doesn't just love Pluto!? Isaac was so excited to have a visit from Pluto. By Wednesday we were SO READY to leave the hospital and our wonderful nurse Norma let us out to go for a ride in the wagon to visit the playroom. While we were there Pluto came to the hospital to visit the kids. Isaac was so excited and hugged him and pulled in his whiskers. I was so shocked that he was willing to visit Pluto. They also gave him the softest little tiger that we have affectionately named Arnold after the hospital.

Well I have to run, he's starting to wake up and it's time for the next round of meds. Please continue to pray for our little guy. Next time I'll try to post about how our little Houdini tries to escape from his no-nos.

Just a Couple More Hours

When you see this picture remember to pray that Isaac will do well in his surgery and recovery, and to keep things out of his mouth. I am a nervous wreck, we need to be at the hospital by 6 o'clock am and he is scheduled for surgery at 7:30. We're down for the night and can't have any more formula to drink after 12:00 or anything to drink after 2:00. I hope that he isn't too cranky in the morning when we can't feed him breakfast. Hopefully he will go back to sleep since it's way before he usually wakes up. Please pray that Mommy & Daddy will be calm and able to reassure our little man, and that Isaac will keep his little fingers and toys out of his mouth. Mostly we pray that God will help prepare his mind so that he can not be so scared when he wakes up at the hospital and when the doctors and nurses are all around. I'm sure I'll feel better tomorrow. I hope that I will be able to get some sleep tonight.