Lifesong Farms

From Lifesong . . .

Lifesong Farms. Through the partnership and expertise from our friends at Plant Sciences, Inc., jobs have been created for in-county orphan caregivers and orphan graduates who are transitioning into adulthood. The goal of Lifesong Farms is to not only benefit these individuals with employment, but also to establish sustainable businesses to help fund on-going orphan care.
Enjoy these updates from Lifesong Farms in Zambia and Ukraine...

"OUR LIVES HAVE BEEN CHANGED..." // Zambia

Because of the faithful work of our 16 farm ladies, we have been able to grow and sell berries to local grocery stores. More important than the berries sales, it is exciting to provide employment opportunities for these women, many of them widows, who care for multiple children.

Learn more about Lifesong Farms-Zambia>>

BERRIES SOLD IN GROCERIES // Ukraine

Strawberries from Lifesong Farms-Ukraine are now in 5 different grocery stores in the Kharkov area. Sergei (pictured) and Andrei, both Lifesong graduates, have done an excellent job heading up this project. It's been amazing to watch these two young men, once behind orphanage walls, grow in their relationship with Christ and develop the skills to become successful businessmen. We are thankful to give opportunities to not only these two young men, but over 100 graduates who are employed through Lifesong Farms and other opportunities.

Learn more about Lifesong Farms-Ukraine>>

READ MORE...

First Harvest is In! - Lifesong Farms-Ukraine share pictures and thoughts from their first harvest this year. Read More

Brush to Berries - Listen in to how Lifesong Farms got started in Zambia. Watch Video

A Growing Potential - Orphan graduates, Andrei and Sergei, receive intentional and godly mentorship through Lifesong Farms. Read more

Sustainable Business - Learn more about Lifesong's sustainable business efforts in Ukraine, Zambia and Honduras.  Read More

Life These Days

Things have very much normalized over the past few days.  The kids are back in full swing with all of their 'stuff', Craig's work has slowed down a bit from last week, and Maya is has seemed to adjust really well to life as a Stewart

I love this picture.  It's all my little people, and I love them.

 

The article about Maya's adoption was run in the Northport Gazette today.  My granddad went to get one out of a machine, and some papers from last week's edition were still in there.  I don't guess today's has made it out yet, but its on their Facebook page if you want to read it.  Most of you know her story, anyway, but its neat to be in the paper, I suppose :).

 

I took this video today of Maya in the bathtub.  After this long, she's finally gone all in and learned to enjoy the happiness of a good splash . . .

 

 

And yes, I was pretty wet after this.

 

Our house is for sale.  I have no idea how this happened.  Well . . . I do, but we weren't neccessarily planning on selling our house.  Kurt and Laura have bought a house and are moving out the end of August.  That left us with some decisions.  Leave the basement as is and find another renter for the same amount of rent per month, remodel basement and increase rent cost to pay to begin renovations on the main two levels of the house, or put it on the market and see if we get any bites.  Our realtor thinks that with the market on the increase as it is, our chances of selling are very good right now.  If it doesn't sell in six months we'll reevaluate, but we've had some interest already. We'll see what happens.  Lots of people have asked where we're going, and we don't have a clue.  HA!  Our only limitation right now is staying in the TCHS school zone, since Ryan is starting there next month. 

 

We always have excitement and something out of the ordinary going on, but that's how we like it.  Makes for a never-boring kind of life. 

 

I swear, one day I'm gonna get a personalized bumper sticker, or SOMETHING, that really puts our motto out there . . ."YOU JUST NEVER KNOW WITH THE STEWARTS"!

 

Love,

 

Paige

 

 

 

 

 

 

RISE Update

I made a phone call a few minutes before 11 this morning to Mrs. Terry, and she called back this afternoon with very encouraging news.

First of all, let me say what a joy it was to talk with her.  If there was ever a lady who has an encouraging spirit about her, this is her.  I walked away from that phone call feeling even better about our situation with Maya as a whole, and not only about our position with RISE.  She told me so many fantastic things about her own son that has Down's, and it made me so excited for Maya's future.  Just to know that there's so much potential to discover and know what her possibilities could really be is a tremendous blessing, and I'm so thankful for the time I spent talking with her.

She's going to help us get a time next week that Maya can be assessed by the therapists there at the center.  Since Maya has only been home for a week, we believe collectively that it would be best to start her off a slower rate.  In a nutshell, once she's been evaluated we'll probably go and do some therapeutic work once or twice a week for a while, and there will be things that I can even work on at home with her.  This will give us a chance to continue our adjustment to family life with her, but also begin giving her the therapy she needs. 

Our aim is that once she's ready for full-time involvement with RISE, we'll put her in a class that maybe doesn't match her numerical age, but would likely match her developmental level.  Mrs. Terry said that the three-year-old class there is literally busting at the seams right now, but if we can begin her work at an infantile level, that would be better for Maya, anyway, just because she's so far behind.

So . . . although we're not starting full-blown, all day 'school' for Maya, we've gotten our foot in the door and will be accessing some real help for her.  And we're very optimistic in believing that once she's really ready, there will be a spot for her in an age bracket that will fit her developmental needs.

Thank you all, again, for so many responses to the post last night.  I heard from so many people, and its a wonderful feeling to know that so many had our backs.  Funny thing was, I woke up to a message from a writer with the Northport Gazette.  He called us today and did a telephone interview, so our story will appear in Wednesday's (7/31) edition of that paper.

Its just amazing how this whole thing really snowballed, and we're so thankful for all of you that commented, messaged, called, and shared the link. 

Sometimes the hand of God reaches down and really pulls you really close.  There's no better feeling than that.

Love,

Paige

Pray NOW!

God himself might as well have been standing in front of us tonight at Steel City Pops.

We decided to venture out a little this evening and we went for a stroll at the park, and then decided to hit the new Tuscaloosa sensation for some sweetness.  Side note:  A buttermilk popsicle tastes JUST like cheesecake.

As we were standing in line, a sweet lady from our church came up to us and, noticing Maya, began making small-talk about her adoption and homecoming.  We chatted for a few minutes, and she went her way and we went ours.  Which wasn't far.  We were in line waiting on popsicles.

There was a couple and their daughter standing ahead of us in line, and after a minute or two, she said that she had overheard our conversation, and she, too, wanted to hear about what country she was from, how old she was, etc.  She then asked if Maya was going to RISE next year.  I explained to her that we had applied and were on the waiting list, but unfortunately, we didn't make it in for the next year.  She told me that all of her kids had gone there, and that she had a nephew who has Down's that also attended RISE.  He's working there, now, as one of their adult helpers.

We chatted it up for a few more minutes, and she ultimately tells me that HER SISTER IS ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS.  She says, "Let me give you her phone number, and I'm sure she'd be happy to talk to you if you had any questions about anything".  Ummm, ok.  Yes.  Thank you.  That would be phenomenal.  YES.

So, I thanked her profusely, assuring her I would call.  I told Craig, "Do ya THINK God put us all here . . . right now?!"

But wait . . . the story isn't over yet.  We were sitting in the store, still eating popsicles, when she came back in a few minutes later.  I knew something was up, and my heart started jumping.  She told me that she had just called her sister, and that she wanted me to call her tomorrow.  This precious lady, who, indeed, is on the RISE board of directors, is going to try and get Maya a place there.  She had already heard of Maya's adoption, so, somehow, this wasn't a surprise to her. 

This lady's name is Teri Terry, and I hope its ok that her name is out here now.  I'm calling Mrs. Terry tomorrow, so PRAY HARD that things go as we would like, and that we can get Maya in this program.  RISE has EVERYTHING that Maya needs right now, so to be able to attend here would be a tremendous, overwhelming blessing.  She needs so much.  We're bonding with her, and we're doing everything we know to do to help her as best we can.  But some things only a place like this can provide.  She would receive all of her therapy, she'd be around children her own age that would hopefully encourage her to grow and develop, and she'd have another group of cheerleaders that want to see her become everything that God has intended for her to be.

Now . . . GO!  Hit your knees for this little girl that God has given us.  And just in case you're a newbie to Maya's story (some readers are sharing this), click here to see where it all began.

 . . . and thank you :).

Love,


Paige

Quick Update

So I think I have 10-15 minutes.  Ready?  GO!

We got home Saturday night, and I really don't think I've ever been so exhausted.  I didn't even take the time to get 'my' pillow out of the van when we got home.  I fell sound asleep on some flat thing that sorta resembles a pillow.  The great news is, Maya slept 8 hours that night, as did we all. 

Sunday is a little more than a blur.  After a good night's sleep, we got up and personally, I couldn't wait to take a shower and doll up a little.  My appliances ended up not working again in Bulgaria, so I just wanted to make sure I still knew how to fix my hair.  I felt so much better.  Isn't it funny how sometimes you just need to see yourself resembling the person you remember?  My grandparents and my parents came over for a while and once they left, jetlag made its presence known.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  It seriously almost feels like vertigo to me . . . being that tired.  We obviously couldn't wait until bedtime, and it came gloriously quickly.

Maya's cardiology appointment was Monday, and we were elated with the news we received.  We were so worried about her and what we might be facing.  Dr. Colvin, though, ended up taking her off of all of her meds except for one.  Here's the basic situation:  The surgery she had when she was one was to repair a hole in her heart.  It wasn't the typical 'hole in the heart' situations we know of, but this one was a little more involved and dangerous.  There were two aspects to this, and he gave the name, but I honestly can't remember what it was.  Anyway, surgery was done to repair this.  They used a surgical patch to correct the problem, but somehow, the entire hole wasn't covered.  Maya will grow, and her heart will grow, but the patch won't.  Because of this, she'll likely require surgery again to redo this.  It won't be until she's older, though, so we're good for a few years, at least.  Its a tremendous blessing to come off of those meds, though.  We were on a 4x daily schedule, with one of those requiring us to wake her up at night to administer.  So now we're just down to one morning dose, and one evening dose, and we can give it early so she doesn't have to be woken up.

Tuesday (yesterday) was the first 'real' day.  The morning went pretty well, but the rest of the day progressively started to fall apart a little.  Eli came to play with Gavin, and they're boys.  They're loud, they're fast, and they're giddy.  Maya is not loud, fast, or giddy . . . nor does she want anybody else to be.  We're finding that she doesn't do well in semi-chaotic situations, and when you have three other kids, its hard for those situations not to occur at least 37 times daily.  She gets really upset, and the only thing that calms her down is for me to lay her in her crib.  She likes for the mobile to be turned on, but any other noise isn't welcomed.  After about 20 minutes, she's fine and we can start all over.  Initially, I felt bad about that being her only solace, but its all she knows.  Right now, that's her happy place because its familiar.  I talked yesterday with our post-adoption counselor about this, and she assured me that its very normal, and that right now, its important to not allow her to get very stressed about her surroundings.  We want her to be comfortable, but its a process.  She needs to realize that we're here to help her, love her, meet her needs, and just be there.  Not that she always likes for us to 'be there'.  She really doesn't like to be held at all.  Most of the time, she pushes us away after a minute or two, but I have to believe that will change.  Pretty soon she's bound to realize that love and touch are good things, but we're going to allow her to see that on her schedule. 

Otherwise, her adjustment has gone really well, I think.  She eats well (although its a diet of a 4-month old . . . literally), and sleeps really well.  I'm way surprised at how well she sleeps.  Our shortest night's sleep for her was 7 hours so far, so no complaints there.  She enjoys interaction with the kids and the kids enjoy playing with her.  But, again, she has her limitations right now and they're picking up on those.  Everybody is recognizing when its time to STOP for a while. 

Pictures?  Well, I don't have any right now that you haven't seen.  When things normalize a little bit, I'll surely try and remember to get some pictures.  A great one would've been bathtime this morning.  Both girls were in the tub together, and Daisee was thrilled to 'help' give Maya a bath.  Seriously.  Probably the sweetest time they've spent together, considering Maya doesn't even really enjoy her bath yet.  But I'm on it, and I'll post some soon . . . promise.

So.  That get's us all caught up.  Maybe next year  week  . . . in a couple of days I can give the breakdown again.  For now, we're learning to be a family of six.  And that's a good.  thing.

Love,

Paige

7 AM

This might be pretty long, so read on if you want to, but save it for later if its not a good time to take a dive into something.

I'm gonna first tell about our day, because that's usually what people want to know when they open the link.  Today was pretty uneventful . . . well, sorta.  We didn't do much . . . just walked around town to try and find some more baby cereal and eat for the last time at KFC.  Well, and the gelato.  That's good stuff here.

There was one thing that was kinda interesting, though, as we were walking.  I'm not sure what the deal was, but the Muslim temple, or synagogue, or whatever it is was jam packed today.  Those prayer mats were all over the sidewalks.  People just kept bringing them out.  There were folks all over on their knees.  All of a sudden, this, ummm, singing (? . . . sounded like an Indian rain dance to me) comes over the loudspeaker of the building.  I'm telling you . . . probably 150-200 people just all over the sidewalks and at the entrance.  They were all on their knees.  I don't know much about that religion, but it was a major day, or hour, I don't know . . . something for them.  I've just never seen anything like that before, so I had to get a picture . . .

And we got this today . . .

 This means we're done.  We get to go to the house now.

After we got back to the room, I started packing.  And let me tell you . . . I couldn't get my bags packed fast enough.  I packed until I couldn't pack anymore, and then I sat down to write this will the little one plays in her crib.

So . . . rewind to around 7:00 AM this morning.  This was when my eyes opened.  Not that they hadn't been opened most of the night.  I just can't sleep well here.  But last night was bad.  It took me forever to fall asleep, and then I kept waking up every 45 minutes or so.  I knew when I woke up at 7 that this wasn't gonna be pretty.  Maya was waking up, so I got all of her medicine ready and gave that to her, and then I made a bottle for her just knowing she had to be hungry by now.  Well, she wasn't.  Now I'm worried.  I chalked up yesterday's famine episode to an effect from the vaccine, but she should've felt like eating today. 

Now I'm frustrated.  I finally just left the bottle in her mouth until she had no choice but to eat it.  Eventually, she ate about half but she sure didn't want to.  Craig was talking to me, but at this point I just couldn't talk back.  Once Maya was settled, I put my face in my hands and I just cried. 

Today was the day that adoption didn't feel good.  Bulgaria didn't feel good, and I didn't feel good . . . at all. 

I've always joked seriously (can I say that?) with people that there's virtually no privacy with my life.  If you want to know, just ask.  If you don't ask, I'll probably tell you anyway (Disclaimer:  for those that have ever told me top secret info, don't worry.  I don't tell YOUR stuff, just mine).  With that in mind, I can't fake the stuff that isn't real.  If I'm going to be transparent with the funny, likable stuff, I need to be transparent with the stuff that's not so pretty. 

I love adoption.  My boys were adopted domestically, and now we've completed an international adoption with Maya.  I am 100%, absolutely, positively sure that this is God's plan for our life, and I'm also 100%, absolutely, positively sure that Maya was meant to be our little girl . . . to be part of our family. 

But this isn't easy.  Gosh, no.  Honestly, I thought it was going to be.  You know, with me being a  family doctor (now y'all know what I mean . . . my family.  I can do it all for my own.  And I probably could with your family, too, but unfortunately I haven't been to medical school.  But I do love the whole doctor world) , a mother, and with 14 years of experience under my belt, I should be able to handle every little aspect of life as a domestic engineer  (I have MANY professions).  But this is HARD.  Trying to get used to the way this little person lives is eating me up.  She's cute, sometimes she's happy, and I happen to LOVE the fact that she has Down Syndrome.  But, she's living with me, and I don't know her. We're working on it, but I don't always know how to make her happy when she cries.  Half the time, she pushes me away when I try and hold her.  I'm trying to understand her personality, and I know she's trying to understand mine, too.    I don't know right now exactly why she needs all this medicine.  I'm trusting something that complete strangers have told us.  I have no idea what's wrong with her heart.  Hopefully, we'll have some answers on Monday, but right now, we're in a strange place.  What if something were to happen before we get home?  Where in the world would we go?  Who would we call?  Do I really know infant CPR like I thought I did?  These are all questions that bombarded my mind this morning, and really have before.  The weight of everything this morning was more than I could take.  That combined with being more exhausted than I've probably ever been.  That combined with the fact that my family and everyone I love is back home.  That combined with the fact that I NEED my other kids.  I need them so very badly right now.  This morning, I had to cry . . . for a long time.  I was really questioning my ability to do this at 7 AM this morning.

Mikki posted a blog earlier this week that has crossed my mind several times.  I mean, how many times to I need to sing 'Jesus Loves Me' to remind myself that when I'm weak . . . at 7 AM . . . he is STRONG?   Craig reminded me of this earlier today  It was a statement that said I wasn't all by myself.   I have Craig, whose arms have been exactly what I needed when I just had to feel sad for a while. But I have the Creator of all things living inside of me.  Being STRONG, when I can't be strong anymore.  It was such a simple statement, but there's so much truth behind it.  I'm NOT alone.  I have unlimited access to the one who is absolutely strong when I'm weak, tired, drained, frustrated, and feel ill-equipped. 

I've done the whole crying-out thing more than once this week.  Sometimes God has just felt far away.  That's bad when you feel like you're in a place where he's led, but you've been 'dropped off' to deal with come-what-may. 

Is this what Abraham felt like when he lifted his knife to slay his son?  If this what Job felt like when he was being faithful to the One whom he desired to obey?  Friends, we desire to obey. No matter how hard it seems, I DESIRE TO OBEY.  I desire to love, protect, fight for, and nurture this sweet little girl that now bears our last name.  I desire to know her, to know her habits, to know what she needs, and to know that I have a love for her that is strong and never-ending. 

This is the story of adoption.  This is the transparency of Paige.  I said in an earlier blog that I just want to get home and begin life again.  Life with another Stewart, and life with a little girl whose potential to grow, learn, and develop is limitless.  I can't wait to watch her walk, to hear her first word, to see her eat her first bite of real food, and I especially can't wait to see her reach for me, because she knows that I'm her mama, and because she just needs her mama.

If you're one that might be considering adoption, this shouldn't scare you away.  Please don't let it.  I know that our picture is just beginning to be painted.  Heck, I think that the canvas has just been brought out and placed on the easel.  Lots of things are hard, but totally worth the initial struggle.  I know we are blessed, and I know that we are loved and held by our Heavenly Father.  Our lives will never, ever be the same, but I can't help but believe that because God has led us here, we'll never want to go back.

The artist has just picked up the brush, and the smile on his face indicates that he's making something beautiful . . .

Love,

Paige

We're At Third Base . . .

The last of our official business in Bulgaria is DONE.

We have one more day here, and that doesn't include anything that consists of 'have-to's'.  Tomorrow we can sleep in, we can stroll where and when we want, and then tomorrow night we'll get back to the room early and pack to come back to the US.

I.  Can't.  Wait.

I want our normal now.  Its time to start life.  I have no idea what its going to be like, but I wanna try.

Today was eventful.  We had to take her to the hospital here to have a medical exam.  The doctor used her stethoscope to routinely listen to her chest and back, she felt around on her belly a little, and that was it.  We did find out, though, that she needed the Prevnar vaccine before she could enter the US.  That was a chunk that we didn't know we'd have to pay, but expect the unexpected, you know?  So, she got poked, she cried, I held, and that was that.

She couldn't wait to get back to her crib and chill out for a while.  The girl just likes to lay.  Its all she's known, so for right now, we're gonna let her be happy with that when we can.  Usually when we're in the room for a while, we lay her on the bed between us and play with her, but sometimes its apparent that she just likes the solitude. 

At 12:30, Yavor picked us up again and we headed to the US Embassy on the other side of Sofia.  You think airport security is bad?  HAVE YOU EVER BEEN TO A US EMBASSY BUILDING?!  You have to get inside . . . to get inside.  There's big, burly men standing at every door.  And don't even THINK about getting your camera out to take a picture of the building.  That's a no-no.  We know that now, because Arnold Schwarzenegger-man told us so . . . real quick-like.  Mucho security-o, and did I mention the big, burly men?

Anyway, got in, had our interview that lasted about 5 minutes (after we waited for 45), then we left.  Maya was beyond done, so we came back to the room and we all took a little nap. 

We left again for supper and to get some more rice cereal, but we didn't lolly-gag very long, because she was still done.  She really didn't want to eat tonight.  I think it was a combination of the fast-pace of the day and maybe a side affect of the shot.  She's laid down for the night now, so Craig and I will probably settle down her in a few.

I don't have any pictures from the day because it just wasn't 'that kind' of day.  I mean, I guess I could've had one of the Embassy building, but we may have gotten shot in the process of taking the photo, so . . . I guess you can look it up online if you really want to see.

We'll pick back up tomorrow, but only after we hit the city streets and find the gelato place again.  Oh, did you know that over her that a milkshake is NOT?  A milkshake consists of whatever flavors you like with a mini-scoop of ice cream, blended up so much that it comes out in liquid form . . . you know, like WATER.  And they blend it so much its not even cold by the time you get it.  NAS. TY.  European travelers, beware!

Aiight . . . over and out.  Tomorrow's another day.

Love,

Paige

Two In One Day!

It has been a fantastic day.  Seriously . . . it couldn't have been better

It was warm outside, so Maya was finally able to wear one of the summertime outfits that we brought instead of the long pajamas we've been washing over and over in the sink.  Look at her cute little self . . .

She's been so happy.  We put her in her stroller and we walked all the way down the main boulevard here.  We went into the Central Department Area (what we know as a MALL), got some gelato (which she was NOT a fan of . . . yet), and bought a few things from the store.  We came back when she got tired (pickup from my last post) and when she woke from her nap, we went back out for a while.  We strolled some of the back streets of the city . . .

 

This is the entrance to the Department Center.  It's a beautiful building . . .

 

 

As we were walking, Ii noticed this on the side of one of the buildings.  My sisters will appreciate this pic.  We used to eat these suckers a lot as kids, but you don't see the a whole lot anymore . . .

 

 

We stopped to get a picture of she and I, and I have to post both of them.  This one is the 'good'

one.  The boring 'good' one . . .

 

 

But this one is HILARIOUS.  Look at that face of hers!

 

We ate dinner at a colorful little restaurant called 'Papaya' and I took this video of Craig and Maya playing together.  It was the sweetest thing to see her giggle and laugh . . .

 

 

If you can't see that one, try this one from YouTube...

 

 

We came back to our room shortly after and she ate her supper, and we could see that she'd had all the action for one day that she could stand.  We got her all ready for bed, and Craig got ready to brush her teeth.  That's been his 'job' with Daisee, so naturally, it'll be his 'job' with Maya, too.  We brushed them last night (my job is to hold her steady) but she didn't like it a bit.  Tonight was worse.  She wiggled and cried, but tonight she bled a lot from her mouth.  I'm sure it was just because she isn't used to getting her teeth cleaned, but I know that's something that will subside once we develop the routine of brushing teeth. 

 

Craig has gone downstairs to bring some dessert up to the room, so he and I are gonna enjoy some sweet goodness while she sleeps.

 

Tomorrow she'll have her medical appointment in the morning, and our Embassy appointment in the afternoon.  Pray everything goes well!

 

And we go happy news today.  Dr. Chambers has gotten an appointment set up for her with the cardiologist on Monday.  We needed this badly, because we're short on a couple of her heart meds, and we really need to find out how her heart is doing.

 

Ok . . . that's it for today.  I'll check back in tomorrow!

 

Love, 

 

Paige

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pictures

I've forgotten that some people that are following our adoption journey aren't Facebookers, so there's a lot of pictures they haven't seen. There are some on here, too, that haven't been posted to Facebook yet, so scroll down for some new and older pictures . . .

    Ever wondered what those big thunderstorm-forming clouds look like from the top?

What the city of Chicago looks like from the air . . . 

 

This is a soviet-era monument that a lot of Bulgarians want to see come down . . .

 

Right after we left the orphanage . . .

 

 

Lunchtime on Gotcha Day . . .

 

 

Our driver and translator, Javor . . .

 

 

Maya's orphanage director . . .

 

 

Belinda Carlisle is coming to Sofia!

 

'

 

We didn't get too close, but this is one of the protests going on outside some of the government buildings.  This is a very small protest.  After working hours, thousands of people gather in this area to protest the current government of Bulgaria.  Lots of yelling, honking car horns, shouting in bull horns.  Its kinda scary to somebody who's never seen this kind of thing first-hand before.

 

I LOVE this picture . . .

 

And this one . . .

 

Our city view of Sofia from our 7th floor balcony . . .

 

First picture of mama and Maya . . .

 

 

First feeding . . .

 

First bath . . .

 

Our hotel . . .

 

What feeding time looks like . . .

 

I'll try to remember to post more pics on the blog and not just my Facebook profile!

 

Love,

 

Paige

Bulgarian Grannies Don't Like Cold Feet

Day two has been another success . . . for Maya.

The beginning of day two wasn't a walk in the park for me.  After two hours of sleep night before last, and only about three hours last night, I was a basketcase this morning.  I was tired to the point of feeling just SICK, I was homesick like crazy, and the frustration of the meds was about all I could take.  But, 12:30 came and Maya went down for a nap.  Know who else went down for a nap?  Paige and Craig.  We all slept for three glorious hours.  I'm pretty darn sure it was the best nap I've ever taken.  Probably the most needed nap I've ever had, too.

Maya is a happy girl.  I think we may have pushed her a wee bit far today, though.  We went out for a while this morning.  When we came home, she was ready to stretch out, eat her lunch, and sleep for a while.  Afterwards, we got her to sit up pretty much the whole afternoon playing with us and her toys, with a few breaks in between.  She's not used to this at all, so I think it made her a little ill and grumpy.  She started crying at supper for no apparent reason.  As we got into the elevator to come upstairs, it just made sense that she had probably been a little overstimulated.  She ate her supper, got her diaper changed and her teeth brushed (which was not at all a favorite thing to do for her) and I laid her down in her crib.  Right now, she's rocking herself to sleep again.  She slept for eleven hours straight last night, so hopefully she'll rest well tonight, too.

She doesn't require white noise to sleep.  This is very foreign to me, as every member of our family has a fan in each of our bedrooms.  If you enter our house at night, it pretty much sounds like a tornado simulator.  I've found that we can talk, wash clothes/dishes, turn a light on here and there, and it doesn't wake her up.  I guess when you live in a place with lots of other kids and lots of activity at all hours, you get used to all of the sounds around you.

Believe it or not, its COLD here.  I mean, cold in Alabama terms.  If it gets below 80 in July, that's cold.  We went out this morning and I was wearing my sundress and Maya had on her cute little summertime outfit with her little bare toes hanging out.  After a couple of blocks, we had to go and buy a blanket.  It was about 72 degrees and windy.  The last thing we need is for her to get a cold with these heart issues.  We didn't stay out that long, but we'll try again tomorrow.  Funny thing was that she kept kicking the blanket off.  All these little Bulgarian grannies kept coming up with their Bulgarian jabber that we couldn't understand, but it was very apparent that they didn't like her toes sticking out.  One lady looked like she was singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" because she was trying so hard to get us to understand that her 'skinny legs needed to be covered'.  Our advantage was that we could just say "English?" and keep on going.  They didn't know what we were saying, and we kinda pretended not to know what they were saying.  We laughed about that one.

Things are going well, but I sure can't wait to be home.  We've got what we came here for, so in my eyes its time to get outta Dodge.  We still have a couple of legalities to take care of, though, so we're hanging on for a few more days.

Love y'all lots,

Paige

Gotcha Day

Gotcha day isn't an adopted child's birthdate, but to his or her adoptive family, its pretty darn close.

Gotcha day is pretty self-explanatory.  This is the day we walk into our baby's institution, and say, "No more, sweet one.  I've GOTCHA!"

Today was our gotcha day.  We walked into Maya's orphanage, picked her up out of her crib, and said, "No more, sweet Maya.  We've GOTCHA."

What.  A.  Day.

We've had surprises.  We believed that Maya was only on one medication for her heart, but turns out that she's on four.  Reality check number one.

We also believed that we were going to be sent home with a month's worth of the meds she needed until we could get her to the International Adoption Clinic in Birmingham.  For two meds, we have three weeks worth, for one we have a week and a half's worth, and for the other med we have 6 days worth.  Reality check number two.  ( . . . and we're working hard on this one to get it resolved.  The girl needs her meds for her heart.)

She's taken very well to being taken out of the only environment she's ever known.  She's been happy with us, and I dare say that she was pretty stoked to see us when we came in.  I actually kinda think she may have remembered us.

I scooped her up out of that bed, and she immediately grabbed my face with both of her hands and just laughed.  She then laid her head on my shoulder for a second or two, and then she looked at Craig.  She 'talked' to him for a minute, until finally he couldn't stand it any more and took her from me, just like I imagined him doing. 

She's not eating any solid food.  I came prepared with baby food, formula, and rice cereal.  She downed an 8 oz. formula bottle, thickened with the cereal, in about 2 minutes.  I tried to give her some of the baby food, but she HATED it.  The orphanage gave us the rundown on what she usually eats, and aside from the bread soaked in milk (gross) its not too far off.  For her snack, I made a 4 oz formula/rice bottle and added a little bit of yogurt, and she loved that.  And then finally, right before she started getting really sleepy from the day, I made another 4 oz formula/rice bottle, but I mixed in some of the vegetable/meat baby food.  Again, she downed it in no time.  If we can live like this until we get home home, I'm totally fine with that.  The prep is pretty easy to do in a hotel room and she's quite happy with it.  Feeding was a major concern for me, so this is a real answer to many prayers.

She's taken her meds with a little bit of pedialyte poured into a bottle.  The meds are in powder form, so it just mixes right in, and this is how she's used to taking them.  Its a rigorous schedule, though.  We give her four meds at 6 AM, then one at 10, one at 2, another at 6, and the last one at 10PM, and she's done...until 6 the next morning.  I'm thinking the IAC may tweak all of that some.  Who knows how different her meds, schedule, and treatment will be like once we're back in the US.  Their medical practices are approximately 25 years behind us, and that's not a joke.  The country just got their first MRI machine a few months ago.  We have LOTS of those in every major city (and then some) in the US, so that's a huge advancement for them here.

She had her first bath ever today.  She didn't hate it, but I'm not sure she loved it.  In the orphanage they 'washed her off' on Fridays with a washcloth, so being submerged belly-button down was a whole new world.  She got a good scrub, and then got slathered with lotion that smells so good you could eat it.  She smells like a Paige-kid now, and there's nothing corroded in her hair.  Its the simple things, ya know?

Right now, she's lying in her crib.  I tried rocking her to sleep, but I knew that was probably too far out of her comfort zone.  She wasn't thrilled with it, so I laid her down and she's sucking her thumb, rocking her own self to sleep, as she's done for countless nights.  I can't wait for the day that she actually reaches for us, and wants us to brush her hair from her face while she drifts off.

Its been a wonderful day.  I know its been a huge change for her, but she's handled it like a champ.  There's so many emotions I feel right now.  I'm tired from  not sleeping last night, I'm a little sad because I miss my kids back home so, so much, and I'm incredibly full of joy because there's one less.  And she's mine . . . ours.  She belongs to a family now.  Her life will never, ever be the same, and ours won't either. 

We love her, we love our God, we love our friends, our family, and we love being chosen for the honor and privilege of raising Maya Cosette Stewart.

My heart is full.

Love,

Paige

No Driver, No Food, No English (y'all thought I was kidding, didn't you?...)

We'll, we're here.  And that's about it.

Travel was easy.  The only tricky part was making our flight from Munich to Sofia, and we made a run for it and made it.  Somehow, though, we didn't go through Passport check-in or baggage re-check.  We just followed the signs once we got off the plane and ran.  When we got to the boarding area, we told them we didn't go through the Passport check, and the lady just said, "Oh, well don't worry about that".  She just scanned our passes and let us through.  Whatever you say, oh sweet angel lady sent from Heaven.

We got into Sofia around 5 PM.  Our driver was waiting at the airport, so we met him and he drove us to our hotel.  He's a nice dude, but he informed us that he'd only be with us two days, but if we wanted him to take us other places that would cost us more money.  Huh?  That's not supposed to happen, but we're working on it. 

The area we're in now is supposedly more touristy.  I suppose its more touristy for Europeans, but not for Americans.  We can't find any English, hardly, and the restaurants all serve "nervous meat balls".  I like my meatballs unnerved, so, no thanks.  We found a market down the street so we're living off Coke Zero, trail mix, and bananas with Nutella until we can figure out what to do.  I want to be near a KFC again.

We're picking up Maya at 9:30 in the AM.  We wanted to go and buy her diapers and wipes and "her" food today, but our Bulgaria lady informed us that we'd pick her up tomorrow and then go and get her supplies.  They just don't do things here the way we do them at home. 

The weather here is beautiful.  Right now, its 6:04 PM and its in the upper 70's with a nice breeze.   We're on the balcony enjoying what we don't get in July in Alabama. 

That's all I've got for today.  BUT, HARK . . . Craig just did a Skype call with our Social Worker with Lifeline, and I think she's gonna try and make some contacts and get us moved back into the city.  HOW.  WONDERFUL.  I sure hope that works out. 

I'll post again tomorrow, or if we're able to get moved and settled back at Hotel Budapest I'll let you know that happy news.

Love to all!


Paige

Go Time

We're now five days away from go-time.

FIVE.  DAYS.  AWAY.

I've packed most of Maya's things, but I haven't even begun to think of what to pack for Craig and me.  It never fails that every time we pack for a trip, something is forgotten.  It may be little, like dental floss, or it may be of significant importance, like Craig's belt.  SIGNIFICANT importance. 

We go on lots of trips.  Mostly little overnight get-aways, but its something we both love to do.  Or did love to do.  We won't be going on any little OR big excursions for a while . . . a LONG while.  But that's ok.  We'll gladly give those up to be able to see our little girl thriving at home where she belongs.

On Friday at 5 in the evening we'll board a flight to Chicago, then to Munich, and finally ending up in Sofia.  We'll chew our fingers for two days until we're finally able to go to the orphanage and pick up the one that God has set apart for us . . . our Maya.  Sweet girl.

My main purpose of this post, however, is to thank those of you that have helped to make this happen.  When we first committed to do this, we had no doubt that God would see this to the end, in every way.  We really didn't expect everything that we've received.  We haven't lacked for anything.  Precious people have given us clothes for not only Maya, but for Daisee, too.  And these aren't clothes that somebody just needed to get out of the way.  These are cute clothes that they could've easily sold for good money.  Instead, they chose to give them to us, because they knew we could use them.   People have loaned us invaluable items for trip one and trip two.  Items that will help to keep my flat iron in operation while in country, because I was going nuts trying to figure out what in the world my hair was gonna do if we couldn't convert that voltage in the outlets.  INVALUABLE.  Family and friends have entertained our kids while we were in the beginning stages making trips back and forth to Birmingham.  We had a jewelry fundraiser, and within two hours, the first order was GONE, and we realized that we needed more.  Within a few days, the other pieces that we ordered were sold, too.  People just walked up to us at church, work, the front door, and said, "Here's some money.  We want to help".  We received an international adoption grant from Families Outreach. What we lacked in funds we made up for from our own savings.  A lot of you bought coffee from our coffee fundraiser.  We've been given gifts from precious people that also want to see Maya, the one made in HIS image, reach her full potential.  And prayers.  Prayers have been said by hundreds, and prayers have been answered by our Heavenly Father.  So many people are involved in this.  It isn't just us.  Not by far. 

The bottom line is that God provides, and he uses those he loves to provide. 

See this closet?  God provides.

Ok, so the reason you see this and nothing else is because today, FINALLY today, I've gotten it organized.  Its N.I.C.E. 

So, all of this to say that if you fit into any of these categories, let me just say THANK YOU.  Not a thing has gone unnoticed or unappreciated.  A difference was made by every single person that worked and helped to make this happen.

In five days, it happens.

Not a moment too soon.

I'll update with more plans later in the week.

Love,

Paige