tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29691640962255978772024-02-18T22:07:52.922-08:00PAIGE In Real LifeA look into the life of an everyday mother with a family of six. Buckle up. It's real life.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.comBlogger88125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-39269575770375838312018-06-06T11:30:00.000-07:002018-06-06T12:39:12.749-07:00Post-op ReportHappy days are here again! I went for my one week post-op visit and everything went wonderfully! My surgery site is healing very nicely with only a tiny little spot of weakness. This spot has bled just a tiny bit since the surgery, and Dr. Walsh just feels like that’s because all of the tension is centered there. Not a big deal, though. I’m only 5-10% “healed” at the site, though, so although simple place-to-place walking is fine, I can’t do any kind of exercise or rigorous activity until it’s more stable. I’m just glad she told me it’s ok to move around good now! And the happiest news is that the path report came back completely clear, so the cancer is GONE! Praise Jesus! We’re all so relieved and thankful to all of our friends and family for all of the meals, prayers and babysitting that’s been necessary over the past week. This all goes to show that TRIBES are NECESSARY, and we sure belong to a great one. We leave this Saturday for Michigan for our Life Action vacation. I’m so glad I’ll get to go with no big worries! So...as I used to say with great confidence...YAY for SUMMER!<br />
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Love,</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-59736069355845959422018-05-31T07:55:00.003-07:002018-05-31T08:00:10.740-07:00Oh Mr. Sun...My kids' ages are spread out all over the place. 19 down to a developmental 2-year-old and a couple others thrown in there for good measure and a little extra well-rounded chaos. We got it, though. That's how we like it. My big boy is old enough to remember Barney, that big, annoying, talks-like-he's-got-a-cold purple dinosaur, which means I certainly remember Barney. So there's two songs that Barney-watchers will remember: the 'I Love You' theme song, and 'Oh, Mr. Sun'. I mean, surely you remember those. Like, when you just want to annoy the stink outta somebody, you'd just start singing one of them. Or maybe that's just me. <br />
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So, 'Oh, Mr. Sun' comes to mind as of late. And right now you'd probably assume its because you think I missed the ark that sailed from Alabama a few days ago before all of the rain poured down and flooded everything (including my chicken house...my poor hens aren't happy in all of that mud), but its not. <br />
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Its because Mr. Sun gave me cancer.<br />
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I love the sun. I used to hate it. I didn't like to be hot, or sweaty, or breathe air that was so thick with heat and water you could cut it with a butter knife. But I've totally flipped, and now I can't stand the cold. I love the spring when it starts to get warm, and I love our neighborhood pool in the summer. And the beach....ooooh my goodness. I. LOVE. THE. BEACH. I got to visit Destin for the first time early this month. Craig had a work conference there and I was able to go along for the ride, and I've never seen a lovelier place. I sat on that beach all by myself for two days and it felt so good. <br />
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But the sun apparently really isn't your friend. I realize now that all of these medical experts know what they're talking about, and its not really just a threat, because I found out a couple of weeks ago that you really can get skin cancer, and it doesn't always start out with a little warning. Sometimes it just jumps right into melanoma before you get a chance to get your act together. <br />
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I started seeing a dermatologist several years ago, just because I did all the things, especially when I was younger. Sunburns, tanning beds, blisters...I really did. But that's just what everybody kinda did. Sunburns hurt, but when they faded, you had a little bit of a "glow" (that's what we call it because it sounds prettier and healthier than a "tan"). And I could fall asleep in a tanning bed. That little fan at the end and that good heat...<br />
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But it caught up with me last year when I had my first pre-melanoma cut off of my arm. It wasn't so bad. It was a teenty, tiny little spot that I wouldn't have thought anything about, but my doctor removed it and it was close to being full-blown melanoma. When the path report came back, we realized more had to be cut out, so I went and had that done. After a day in a sling and caring for a few stitches I was fine and dandy. This was in March, so I carried on with summer. LOVED it. LOVE summer. <br />
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I had to start seeing my dermatologist every six months, though, for a full skin check. First one was fine, but when I went for my next one, which was a couple of weeks ago, she took a mole that had grown since my last visit. I knew it was there, and I would look at it myself from time to time, but I never thought it looked "bad". It didn't carry a lot of the typical ugly-mole signs you look for when trying to diagnose melanoma, but Dr. Lucas could see that it had grown and she didn't hesitate when she said we needed to take that one off and have it biopsied. I wasn't even nervous when she said that. So she shaved the surface of the mole, send it to the lab, and called me last Tuesday to tell me it came back positive for melanoma. <br />
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At that point, I was scared. I knew melanoma wasn't good. I knew that was cancer, and that type of cancer doesn't play. The good news was that it was only a stage 0-1, and that with it being that early, my chances of complete recovery were very good. From what we could tell, it had not spread past the first layer of skin, so treatment beyond surgery wasn't going to be needed at this point. <br />
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I was relieved at that. We scheduled surgery for June 6th. The surgeon that was going to work on me called the next day, and because we have a big family vacation coming up on the 9th, we re-scheduled the surgery for yesterday (May 30th) so I would have enough time to heal before we traveled, and because any time you can get rid of cancer earlier, particularly when it buts up right next to a bone, its just a good thing to do instead of letting it sit there. <br />
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She told me all the risks from the operation, and because of where it is on my leg (lower shin, right leg), it was just gonna be a hard place to heal and sew back together because there's just not a lot of skin there to work with. There were a few options we talked about, but we decided just to try and sew it up traditionally. She talked about possibly doing a skin graft, but that would just give me another wound. The other option was to leave part of this wound open and let it heal from the inside out, but that would be a longer process, and with us traveling, it just seemed riskier. No matter what we chose, though, the healing process was going to be somewhat painful because of the incision, location and swelling.<br />
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So I went in for surgery yesterday. My family had me covered in prayer for all sorts of reasons. For complete removal of the cancer, for recovery, for the doctor...you name it, we all prayed for it. I went in there with a confidence that Jesus stood right beside that doctor, and whatever happened was something that he'd take care of. Start to finish, it took 30-40 minutes. They took a big chunk out of my leg, popped that thing in a bottle, and sent it on its way to a lab somewhere to be analyzed. I've got to be off of my feet with my leg propped up and iced for a week, then I'll go back and see the doctor and figure out where we go from there. It definitely hurts, but our house is typically chaotic, and loud, and fast-paced. And really, I'm usually the one leading the pack keeping everybody on schedule and busy. I think this is the first time ever that I've just been completely down, but we have such a GREAT support system with our family and friends that have provided food and kid help, We don't have a single need that hasn't been met, and I'm so grateful to all of our people! Craig is able to work from home some, and that's such a blessing and I'm happy to not be here by myself. Sitting in a bed or chair all day is bad, but if I had to do it all day with nobody to talk to, well, then my walls would probably be able to tell some stories!<br />
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I'm writing because I'm still enough to have the time to do it, and when something goes on in our lives, that's just how I deal with it. Its an outlet, sort of, and I just typically like to talk about things, anyway. And some people are private and don't like to tell a lot of stuff. But, we've been through enough here in the Stewart house that I've learned that it's not a bad thing for people to know and pray for you! And again, I am FINE and once this heals, I expect to make a complete recovery. I'll have to go for more frequent check ups now, but the great thing is that although the chance of melanoma recurrence is greater, there's also a greater chance that it will be caught early and be treated before its able to spread. I'm so thankful for that. <br />
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Y'all just take Mr. Sun seriously. This stuff is real, and once you have it, especially, you've got to be so very careful. And if you haven't, then take care of yourself before you do.<br />
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Love to all!<br />
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PaigeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-11571928401826627112016-07-03T18:04:00.001-07:002016-07-03T18:05:40.304-07:00The Oompa-Loompa and the Presidential OfficeIt's been a REALLY long time since I sat down and wrote anything. <br />
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I'm totally not saying that I haven't had note-worthy events in the last lots-and-lots-of-days, I'm just saying that I haven't taken the time to put it all down.<br />
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So after lots-and-lots-of-days, I've found something that I want to say, and I seriously can't believe that the content will be what it is.<br />
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Let me start off by saying I am not a political person. <br />
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In fact, I've never cared about politics. I've never kept up with politics. Politics bore me, and politics make me lose my mind. I don't even know what 75% of the positions I vote for even mean or accomplish. <br />
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But this presidential election has gripped me. <br />
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I watch Fox News constantly. Why? Because I'm a conservative Christian, and that's what we're supposed to watch. Maybe you agree with that, or maybe you don't, but as a newbie in political talk, that's where I started. I've watched CNN a time or two, but...eh. I'm also a very dramatic person (I like other people's drama, not my own) and sometimes they flail their arms and I like it when Tucker gets all worked up over stuff I might could get worked up over. But...that's what I watch because me and the Fox people are friends now.<br />
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And for real, I was watching Fox News before Donald Trump ever made his official announcement that he was running for President. I listened in on the Monday morning phone calls he would make to the studio, and quite frankly, I loved hearing him talk. And for real, I was like, "he should seriously run for President". I didn't know much about the Trumpster. I just knew that he seemed like a man who could make things happen, and maybe he was just a big-talker, but still. <br />
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Then came the for real announcement. Donald Trump is running for President. Gulp. I mean, BIG gulp. Oooooh boy. Then came the facts. He's an adulterer. He's a scammer. He only cares about money. He's a hater. He owns strip clubs. And not only that...he's running for the POTUS. And I said once that I wished he'd run for President. So now I've gotta vote for this crazy idiot with REALLY bad hair that's about the most immoral person I've ever heard of. <br />
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But by golly, he's gonna build a wall, y'all!<br />
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SCREEEEEEEEEECH....(hear it with me)<br />
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I watched a lot of the debates. I heard a lot of the jibber jabber from all of the republican candidates. I liked Ben Carson...a lot. But I kinda started losing it for him. He just didn't quite seem to have it all together. Then I sorta got on the Rubio train, then the Christie bus, and John Kasich wasn't all that bad. I was obviously all over the place. But keep in mind, I'm a tiny tot in politics. Don't forget that. There's lots of ignorance involved here, so stay with me before you silently yell at me. <br />
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Then come the interest in the Democrats. People, you've got two. Even now. That's it. Hillary. Bernie. Both of them have always seemed like two different bad dreams in politics. They both have their "I can't even..." aspects to them. And still...I just can't even.<br />
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But we're just down to one of those, and its Hillary Clinton. HILLARY CLINTON. <br />
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I. JUST. CAN'T. EVEN.<br />
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(Stay with me. Even if you're mad at me. Stay with me.)<br />
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So fast forward lots of days. Again. Last week, James Dobson makes a big announcement. DONALD TRUMP HAS ACCEPTED CHRIST. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Its a miracle. We may have a Christian President after all. <br />
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SCREEEEEECH...hear it again?)<br />
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I like James Dobson. He has always seemed like a smart, dependable, Godly man. I've read Bringing Up Boys, and trust what that man says. All of us conservative Christian people love James Dobson. Did you know that he's gonna be serving in some capacity on Trump's faith advisory council? He, along with Ben Carson, Jack Graham, and some other people that we've all heard of are on this council and they're gonna be having some Christian talks with him. I don't know what else they're gonna be doing, because I'm still a baby in politics and I'm not sure what all goes on here, remember? But anyway, that sounds good to me. <br />
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But James Dobson says that Trump was led to Christ, and he accepted Jesus as his savior. <br />
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I hope he did. I really and truly hope he did. And I hope it wasn't for the popular Christian vote. I hope that he truly recognized his sin, repented of his ways, and now longs to have a relationship with the same Jesus I have a relationship with. Know why? Because I can't vote for Hillary. I've seen and read enough of her to know that she's just not where its at (that sounded very political, didn't it?). I just don't believe she can be the President. And there's a whole big list of reasons for that, too, but its for another post four years down the road. <br />
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I think I've gotta vote for Mr. Trump. <br />
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Not because maybe he's become a Christian, but because we're supposed to vote for the President, and we've got two choices. In an election like this, we're not voting for the best Christian leader for the next four years, because we're not guaranteed a Christian candidate. We've gotta vote for who we believe will lead our country in the right direction. Do I believe its Trump that can do it? Uuuuuhh...maybe? I think so? But I'm really not sure, because again, I'm new to political stuff. And what's really on my mind right now is trying to figure out who is really gonna stop these evil, demon-spirited terrorists from blowing people up all over the world. Who's gonna do that? Trump says he will, and I think I'm gonna go with that for now. <br />
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The truth is, I don't know. I really don't. <br />
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Just like I don't know for sure if Trump has become a child of God. Only God knows his heart, just like only God knows mine. Trump is no better, and in God's eyes, no worse than the rest of us. I get that we "grade" sin. We do...I do. But God doesn't. I do know that he can forgive, though, and if Donald Trump has asked for forgiveness recently, then God gave him grace that covers it all. I just hope that the oompa-loompa-look-alike doesn't let me down if that's where I cast my vote.<br />
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So. We've got an election coming up, and there's a couple of people on the ballot. <br />
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What are we gonna do?<br />
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Love,<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-83174121693691221822015-04-28T14:29:00.002-07:002015-04-28T17:23:20.942-07:00A Fight Like No OtherI know.<br />
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I'm such a quitter. Its been foreverish since I wrote anything. Why? Because I have all these people to take care of. And things. And animals. That's not a complaint, its just a reason. I mean, I'm glad to have the reason, but there's just no time to sit and ponder, or write, or think, or look for baby chipmunks. (If you're lost now, read the latest FB post.) Life is just different. Good, but different.<br />
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So if there's this much going on, something must be of utmost importance for me to be able to squeeze out a few to sit and pour out my heart.<br />
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And there is. Something of great importance that I can't hold in anymore.<br />
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Last week, I watched a video that went viral on social media that's really changed my life. It was a video about a young man that's fighting a horrible skin disease that has left his body horribly wounded and scarred. He lives in constant pain every. single. day. Its a disease that doesn't leave much room for optimism, as most kids diagnosed with it don't live to see 25. If you watch the video, though, you'll find that this boy has an outlook on life that doesn't quite fit the profile of what he deals with. He smiles so much, and the way he views his life is filled with words of so much wisdom and maturity for a boy of his age. It leaves you walking away with a sense of inspiration and motivation, and it leaves you feeling like this young man is someone we should all look up to, regardless of our age or condition.<br />
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But as I listened to him talk, I began to wonder. What does his eternity look like? He's battled this horrible, painful disease throughout his entire life. Where does he get his sense of hope? I began scouring the internet to see what I could find about this boy. He spoke of his family as being his main source of strength and comfort. His mother, he says, is his nurse, his best friend, his helper...just, his mother. He draws what he needs from her presence, and you can see that he loves her so much. And she loves him. Absolutely adores him. He's obviously her reason to be able to get up and smile everyday. In my opinion, someone should split the Nobel Peace Prize down the middle and let this boy and his mama share it. <br />
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But, still. I needed to find something to fulfill my desire to know if this boy is, well, SAVED. Like, saved by the redeeming blood of Jesus. I wasn't able to find anything. I researched for a couple of days, and the more time I spent doing this, the more my mind started playing tricks on me. Or was it?<br />
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Monday was the day I first watched the video. By that night, I was in a struggle. It was close to 11 and I was already in bed, but I clearly felt the Lord directing me to a path that I haven't traveled that often. I've spoken to people in groups before, but there's only been very few times that I have shared Jesus with someone on a one-on-one type basis. That's a hard thing to admit, but most of y'all know I'm sometimes painfully honest and open, even when its not exactly the right thing to say.<br />
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I got up and found some contact information for this boy's mama, and I poured out my heart through the world wide web. I was able to share Jesus through my own experiences with heartache and hardship in written form. That method wasn't so bad, because its easier to deal with potential rejection if its not quite so personal. We've all experienced those difficult times, but particularly through our experience with the twins, I could identify with seeing your own flesh and blood suffer. I typed out what I wanted to say, then with my hand on the screen, I prayed and asked the Lord to bless those words and make them effective. <br />
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My hope was that my job was done, and it probably should've been. The problem was that I continued to let the thoughts in my mind fester. As the days of last week went on, I began to experience a fight like I never had before . . . ever. My sweet friend, Boots, later told me, "Girl you're experiencing some serious spiritual warfare, and you've gotta step back and <em><strong>stop playing God</strong></em>". <br />
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I was making up some horrible images in my head. I was thinking of this kid and his sweet mother constantly. It was literally consuming me and bringing me into a place I've never been. I began to cry almost daily for this family. I was in a horrible mood all the time with my own family. I knew I had done what God wanted me to do, but in my mind, it just wasn't enough. In my mind, what God may have for this boy may not be enough. I had already assumed his eternal future, and it wasn't what I thought it should be. Regardless of what this kid already believes or doesn't, in my mind, <em><strong>it wasn't right</strong></em>.<br />
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Everything came to blows Saturday night. I couldn't function anymore. I'm telling you, it was literally evil vs. good. The thoughts I had been having absolutely, 100% were not of God. Not even close. These thoughts of doubt came straight from the pit of Hell, and I couldn't overcome them anymore. I broke down and was in a complete tailspin, and told Craig that I was at a point that I couldn't handle it anymore.<br />
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He called my daddy. Most of y'all know that my daddy is a pastor. My daddy walked in my door that night armed with a love for me and the Word of God. He shared several verses of scripture with me and helped me to understand that no matter what good I intend to do, I can't grab the reins from Jesus. No matter how much I fear, or worry, or doubt, I'm not in control. He also reminded me that no matter how much good is in my heart, if I'm not vigilant, Satan can twist all of that good and turn it into something ugly if God isn't my focus in my attempts.<br />
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God wasn't in my focus. He was in the background somewhere, because my desire for this family to know Him is what started this whole thing. But he wasn't in control anymore.<br />
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Daddy said, "Read Phillipians 4:4-6." Know what it says? "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. <a data-datatype=""bible+esv"" data-reference=""Philippians 4:5"" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="milestone" style="display: inline-block; height: 1em; width: 0px;"></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 66%; font-weight: bold; line-height: 0; vertical-align: super;"> </span>Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; <a data-datatype=""bible+esv"" data-reference=""Philippians 4:6"" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="milestone" style="display: inline-block; height: 1em; width: 0px;"></a><strong><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></strong>do not be <strong><em>anxious</em></strong> about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. <a data-datatype=""bible+esv"" data-reference=""Philippians 4:7"" href="https://www.blogger.com/null" rel="milestone" style="display: inline-block; height: 1em; width: 0px;"></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 66%; font-weight: bold; line-height: 0; vertical-align: super;"> </span>And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."<br />
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Peace. I was chock-full of anxious, and I needed peace.<br />
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He told me to read it, and I couldn't get through it once without tears again. Why? Because it brought relief. Burden-lifting peace. The fight was winding down. I could feel it. Those words brought peace, as only the mind and heart of Jesus can do. <br />
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He also shared Deuteronomy 29:29 with me: "The secret things belong to the <span style="font-variant: small-caps;">Lord</span> our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law."<br />
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I'm not gonna pretend that I know exactly what in the world this verse it talking about, but it clearly states that there's a lot of God and what He does that we don't know. Some things we do, but you can be sure that He's got a secret compartment in that mind of His that we don't know of. For some reason, that spoke to me in a way that I don't think anything else could have in that moment. <br />
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So.<br />
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I don't know why exactly it is that I'm letting everybody know about what happened to me last week. What I do know is that God is doing a work in my life. I've felt a stirring within my soul for a couple of months, and my Bootsie says that this experience has been a preparatory storm in my life for what God is wanting to accomplish in me. <br />
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I know that I can't "save" the whole world. But I also know that God has placed a deeper desire for those that are lost and without Christ in my heart that I haven't felt before. I will continue to pray every day for this frail teenage boy and his mama, because they're close to my heart now. I may never know what the outcome of my prayers are, but I don't have to. All I can do now is pray, and that's ok. God's word tells me that, sometimes, that's all we're to do. Sometimes. Other times, we have bigger parts to play. I'm more open to that than ever.<br />
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I hope somebody else may find comfort in this. If you do, let me know. We can pray for each other, the world, and those individuals he places on our hearts together. <br />
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And one more thing . . .<br />
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God, Jesus, the Bible . . . if these things aren't something you're familiar with and you want to figure all of this out, please send me a message through Facebook or to my email address: <a href="mailto:paigestewart0120@hotmail.com">paigestewart0120</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/null">@hotmail.com</a>. What you find out will change your life. I promise.<br />
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Love y'all.<br />
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Paige<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-50844869231846646782013-11-25T13:21:00.003-08:002013-11-25T13:22:20.030-08:00Life TodayI kinda feel like I need Craig's permission before I write this post. You know, just to make sure we're on the same page with everything. I think that he'd agree with what I'm gonna let you in on here, though, so I'll fire away.<br />
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So, with great fear of jinxing everything I'm about to update everybody on, I'll go ahead and say that I think things have finally gotten into a pattern of leveling out. And that's good. Very good indeed. Why? Because for a while, I seriously thought that my capabilities were greatly waning. I was questioning everything, and I really wasn't sure if I was doing things even a little bit right. Lately, though, I've even sat down in the recliner in the living room and watched a little HGTV when the kiddos all hit the sack. THAT is PROGRESS!<br />
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These days are different. Some days are a lot different, some days are a little different, and some days still require a great deal of Dt. Mt. Dew. But all in all, things are getting easier. <br />
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Maya's eating is going very, very well. She's taking all of her meals by spoon now, with virtually no bottle feedings at all, except for fluids. She's off all baby food (with the exception of fruits, just because baby food is easier) and she eats the same food we eat. My mom bought a Baby Bullet for us to use, so we puree everything that she eats. She's still not chewing regularly. She likes the flavor of yogurt melts, so I use that to manually help her learn to move her jaw up and down. She seems to like the way it sounds when she uses her teeth, so that's a little motivation for her to do it on her own. She won't do it for long, though, and she still doesn't know what to do with the food once its chewed up. Again, its another new sensation for her that she'll have to get used to, but just like the other I'm confident that she'll pick it up when she's ready. For now, we're just crazy happy to get her meals out of a bottle and into a spoon.<br />
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She's started school at the Sprayberry Center. She goes on Mondays and Fridays, and here she receives occupational therapy, speech therapy, and physical therapy. When I picked her up today, I got the chance to see her in action with her physical therapist and was able to talk to her about her progress and where we may see her at the end of the school year. The therapist was helping her move from a sitting to standing position, and she said that she was very happy with where Maya was right now. She expects Maya to have some orthotics soon to help her with support, primarily because her feet are so tiny. Keep in mind that she's 3 1/2 and she's wearing a toddler size 3 in a shoe. Just to give you a comparison, Daisee just turned four and she's in a 10. She also expects to for Maya to be using a walker in the next few months, because her core support is increasing so well. The grand result is that we fully expect her to be walking by the end of the school year. This is fantastic news, obviously, and that day will certainly be welcomed with open arms. And yes, we're still trying our darndest to get into RISE. We'll keep trying until we eventually (hopefully) get accepted.<br />
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(Sorry that you're so blurry, Mattie. Its just a cute pic of Maya that I needed to use.)</div>
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The other kids are making it in this big ol' family of six. Ryan just returned from the Ironman Competition at Auburn University. His CAP squadron competed as a team of six. They didn't place in the top three, but I'm just extremely proud that he put his heart and soul into trying. There were all sorts of physical tests they had to put themselves through, and I really wasn't sure he'd be all into competing, but he was excited to go, but EXHAUSTED when he came back. I guess doing 600 sit-ups in less than 24 hours will do that to you. </div>
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Daisee is still queen bee, with all of her eye-rolling and attitude-ing going on. She's really kinda becoming a little sassy-pants, and we're having to put her in her place a little more than we used to. I mean, we discipline, then turn the corner and go laugh when she says, "oh, grief . . ." at the thought of doing something she was told to do that wasn't exactly on her agenda at the moment. We were hoping that when she had her checkup for her eyes a couple of weeks ago, we would see a little improvement, but we got nada. One of her eyes sees 20/30, which isn't that terrible, but the other sees 20/70 which is just awful. We're trying some prescription eye drops to try and strengthen the weak eye, and we'll go back in January to see what kind of progress we're making with those. In the meantime, she'll just keep wearing her glasses and look cute.</div>
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Gavin is still doing well with homeschooling. We're not attending co-op anymore, but he and I take Fridays and do something fun. A couple of weeks ago we just had a science experiment day and got to make our own weather station and all sorts of goopy, gooey stuff . . .</div>
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We also got to go to All Fired Up one week and get artistic. He's doin' up his own little soap dispenser . . . 'cause he's a germophobe and all. He doesn't mind telling you that, either.</div>
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I know most of you want the dish on the kids, but for those that like a little romance in there with their comedy, Craig and I are still all up into each other, too. Date nights continue to be a must, the occasional bouquet of flowers gets brought in, and an occasional 'just because' peck on the cheek continues to be appreciated and loved. As I look back over the last seven years, God has truly had his hand all over us and our family. I just never dreamed that all of this 'stuff' would happen when I joined forces with Craig Stewart. Lots of ups and downs . . . LOTS. But there's nobody in the world I'd rather ride the coaster with. Another challenge? Bring it. </div>
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Just not today. Property Brothers is about show, and I'd like to see that first.</div>
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Love,</div>
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Paige</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-34211089314946327912013-11-04T07:00:00.004-08:002013-11-04T07:02:02.777-08:00Craig's Interview With Mark Foster of How To Be A Dad TodayA couple of weeks ago, Craig was contacted by Lifeline to participate in an interview with Mark Foster. Mark plays many roles in his life being a pastor (Liberty Baptist Church - Holly Ridge, NC) , public speaker, dad, and husband. He also operates a website (<a href="http://www.howtobeadadtoday.com/">www.howtobeadadtoday.com</a>) that focuses on helping fathers become the men God has designed them to be. <br />
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He contacted Craig last week and asked him to participate in his weekly podcast. The interview focuses on special needs adoption, and he did a terrific job sharing his heart with the listeners. If you're interested, the link below will take you directly to the interview that was aired last Thursday.<br />
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<a href="http://www.howtobeadadtoday.com/special">http://www.howtobeadadtoday.com/special</a><br />
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<strong><u></u></strong><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-18981376272036339872013-10-25T13:05:00.001-07:002013-10-25T13:09:10.523-07:00Has Anybody Seen The Butter?I'm back.<br />
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But I'm not so sure you should get used to it. Things the last three weeks or so have gone so crazy, that I've begun to question the basic things I thought I knew the answer to. Things like, "are these my socks?" , and "how did the butter end up in the bathroom cabinet?" are common types of questions that we hear on a daily basis now. And I really don't know how to answer those things, because people, I have lost it.<br />
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Sanity.<br />
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I literally tossed it about three weeks ago. <br />
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I'm realizing that craziness and chaos are what is going to consume this family for the next decade. DECADE. At least. <br />
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Things have gotten hard. Really hard. There is NO time to sit down. EVER. We live every day literally completing one task only to start on another, and we're just plain worn out. <br />
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Maya's eating took a nose dive. She was doing so well the last time I wrote a blog post, but then she just stopped, and we have no clue as to what happened. It was like the spoon terrified her again, and we were getting nowhere fast. The frustration over this was about to eat us alive. How could she do it one day, and then seem like she'd never done it at all the next? And how in the world do you start all over in trying to teach somebody how to just simply swallow? These are things that we all take so forgranted. Just eating. Maya doesn't yet have the cognition to just be able to eat, and its so incredibly hard to try and teach her when all she wants to do is shoot it back out. I can't tell you how many times I've just broken down completely and SOBBED over this. We're still in the process of coming back out of the cave on this issue, but the last few days have been better. We think we've found a routine that seems to work for now, so until that turns into roadkill we'll keep doing what works for now. <br />
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Things with the other kids have been at a non-stop pace, too. Ryan has had football stuff every day, he and Gavin have gone back and forth to their dad's, doctor's appointments for everybody, we've all had this cruddy allergy/sinus stuff . . . seriously. Just nonstop SOMETHING all of the time. <br />
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There was one day that I just literally BROKE. I was tired, I hadn't even carried on a conversation with my sweet husband the whole week, and stuff was breaking all over the place. I sat on Ryan's bed and just wept while my mom listened. That was truly my point of despair. <br />
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This is all so hard. We feel like we had kinda breezed through the first couple of months of bringing Maya home. But then everything started happening at once and 'the way it is' wasn't the way we really wanted it to be. Something had to change, because if it didn't we were going to literally end up in a heap on top of each other.<br />
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I was able to regroup and refocus. Around the same time this happened, when I was questioning everything about what we had done (don't judge . . . y'all know I tell it all), I got notification that one of the little boys I had specifically prayed for in Bulgaria had died. In his same institution, in his same crib, with no one. He had died, and God reminded me all over again <strong>why we did what we did</strong>.<br />
He reminded me again that this task he sent us to accomplish wasn't going to be an easy one. We thought we realized this in our heads, but once we began to put LIFE into practice, it started getting difficult. Everything about it was squeezing us, and what was coming out wasn't what should've been. <br />
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Since that point, things have been on the upswing. As I said before, Maya's eating is getting a little better. But we know, now, that it could bottom out all over again. We're prepared, and we're not gonna fight her this time. We'll wait until she's ready again and start over. Football for TCHS is almost over. Maya is scheduled to have surgery on her eyes November 1st to open up both tear ducts, but after that and a follow-up, hopefully we'll be done with doctor's appointments for a while. Craig and I have made it a point that, at least every couple of weeks, we need to get out by ourselves for a real date. Its hard to remember to do that when things are so fast paced, but its a priority. So whether there's technically money for a babysitter in the budget or not, we're headed out to hold hands and be mushy for a while.<br />
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We had a great day today. My mom and I loaded up the little kids, along with John William and Eli, and we went to the Barnyard for a little field trip. The weather was beautiful and there was so much for them to do. I wasn't sure how Maya would do in an environment like this, but I think she had a great time. I took lots of pictures . . .<br />
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The pigs were definitely my favorite. Cutest. Things. Ever.</div>
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If it looks like Daisee was squeezing this defenseless chick to death, that's because she absolutely was. At one point, the poor thing couldn't even open its eyes because of the pressure of that sweet little hand of hers.</div>
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Maya liked the chick for 3.47 seconds . . .</div>
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Gavin loves this picture. Its his 'photo bomb' that cracks him up . . .</div>
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Hayride . . . </div>
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And my favorite two pics . . .</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhS281_PTiZVdyZ6ptB-ug_Y96Fm4fneo1BmGHTeCvshyKIfAND7qpK4l7Tp0oXDf0p9haI7h8Yeg8hyphenhyphenVZK7TKsEohirdF1gsQMc19xWrHGd_s9q3d904lCgOe7puDuppR9S9tbqR68Rw/s1600/WP_20131025_115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhS281_PTiZVdyZ6ptB-ug_Y96Fm4fneo1BmGHTeCvshyKIfAND7qpK4l7Tp0oXDf0p9haI7h8Yeg8hyphenhyphenVZK7TKsEohirdF1gsQMc19xWrHGd_s9q3d904lCgOe7puDuppR9S9tbqR68Rw/s320/WP_20131025_115.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
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This one below is definitely the picture of the day. A Maya first . . . this is what brings the smile to my face when I REMEMBER why God chose US . . .</div>
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Simple delight. </div>
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Just keep praying for all of us here. We know there will be ups and downs, but sometimes we just need these reminders. </div>
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Love to all,</div>
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Paige</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-35732098548481686052013-09-27T17:41:00.001-07:002013-09-27T17:45:47.979-07:00Little FakerSee this chickadee?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yNTtBoLrfaCPltCOHoWASfxuWd2m9U91lfXqJxN-xAo6jJAvgccX56E3GU7VQRt-B2qaXoGB0hWirFIm3wPBnG8M7KcVQ2XlLCaUtfqQKwAiwmiVog3oqoWZwWLOJ2PEXAGcItr6xLQ/s1600/PhotoFunia+2013-09-27+07+09+40+default_jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yNTtBoLrfaCPltCOHoWASfxuWd2m9U91lfXqJxN-xAo6jJAvgccX56E3GU7VQRt-B2qaXoGB0hWirFIm3wPBnG8M7KcVQ2XlLCaUtfqQKwAiwmiVog3oqoWZwWLOJ2PEXAGcItr6xLQ/s400/PhotoFunia+2013-09-27+07+09+40+default_jpg.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
She's been foolin' us.<br />
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All this time. That girl has been all, "but I can't eat with a spoon! They're the spawn of the devil himself, and you're NOT. PUTTIN'. THAT. IN. MY. MOUTH. I don't even know what to do with that nastiness that comes off of that thing." <br />
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I mean, she may have some mental delays (whatever), but that sneaky little smile up there says it all. I can hear it in her head even now. "Nanny, nanny, boo boo!" She's loved every bit of it, I'm sure, but . . . GAME OVER! Do you HEAR ME?! For the past four days, missy Maya has been downin' some spoon feedin'.<br />
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Four days ago, Craig said, "I don't know what's happening, but she's just gettin' it"! So, yesterday Craig was gone and I decided to test the waters myself. You see, kiddo and I hadn't been meshin' real well at feeding time. We decided it was probably best that Craiggers take over for a while. But yesterday . . . I mean, it had NO.THING. to do with jealousy of seeing the baby whisperer take control of the food reins and knock it outta the park . . . I don't think. I just wanted to see what *might* would happen if I sat down at the high chair. I envisioned an old western film where the two dudes are gettin' ready to do one of those gunslingin' duels. You know, the 'let's see who moves first' kinda deal? I stared at her, and she stared at me. She knew it was comin', and she darn well knew what she had up her sleeve. <br />
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I brought out my guns (i.e. baby food) and she brought out hers (i.e. tongue). From that point on, the battle raged. Fast forward, people, and I WIN. <strong>I WIN</strong>. <strike>I stuck with it . . .</strike><br />
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Ok, ok . . . enough. Seriously. The real story? Maya wins. She's three-years-old, and she's gettin' the hang of finally learning what its like to eat like a three-year-old. We sat down tonight after last night's jar-and-a-half success and tried again. A jar-and-a-half. It wasn't pretty, and her bib looked like a rejected Picasso canvas, but she got at least half of it in her belly. Tonight? Even better. Tonight we got even braver. We managed to empty TWO JARS and a little bit of oatmeal cereal when things got a bit too soupy. And we managed to do it with about half of the mess we made last night.<br />
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Things got exciting around here for a while. We were all yellin' and hollerin', and she was gettin' down with it, too, with her little grins and all. <br />
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I've tried to hold all of this optimism back thinking it may have just been a fluke. But I think we may have it! I emailed her therapist yesterday, and she replied back saying at some point, it just has to click. I think Maya's brain may have been hearin' a morse code machine or something, because that's exactly what it did. It just clicked. PRAISE. THE. LORD.<br />
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This is honestly a ginormous answer to many, many prayers. There were times my mind was seriously wondering stuff about feeding tubes, and there was even a tiny bit of discussion about it with the therapist last week. Nothing like we were about to 'go there', but we all just talked about it. God heard us, though, and as usual, he came through . . . shinin' like a Porter Wagoner outfit, I tell ya.<br />
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In other news . . .<br />
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We had our final checkup with the cardiologist today. He said that every time he examines her, he learns something new. This time he did a lot of imaging with her pulmonary valve. This is what Dr. Chambers said may have to eventually be replaced. He explained that sometimes with the kind of surgery Maya had, they surgeon will cut completely through the valve to do whatever it is he needs to do. That pretty much makes the valve useless, and it has to be repaired immediately. He didn't say this, but I imagine that they probably take care of this while they're doing the surgery for the original problem. I mean, I'm not a doctor, but . . . well, you know. <br />
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Anyway, They didn't cut through her entire valve, but they did cut through part of it, which kinda made it a one way street. Go 'all or nothin' with me here, ok? Basically, her valve works some, but not exactly like it should. Its all good for now, sorta like her patch covering up that hole, but eventually that valve will probably have to be repaired, too. So now we're looking at two eventual problems. Nothing in the near future, but when she really gets growing they'll have to be addressed. I guess when I said 'final checkup', I just meant that we don't have to go every month anymore. He still wants to see us every 6-8 months to keep checking on those other pesky little issues.<br />
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But for now, well, we're just gonna eat. And I'm ok with that. <br />
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And since you're so happy for us, too, go make yourself a sundae. It's Friday, people.<br />
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Love,<br />
<br />
PaigeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-13337109808847396002013-09-10T12:26:00.001-07:002013-09-10T12:26:13.554-07:00Fire And Ice<div style="text-align: center;">
Gavin and I did the coolest thing today. Sometimes school can get boring, but then sometimes you can make candles. Candles made out of wax and ICE!</div>
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This was so much fun, and really easy to do.</div>
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Wash out a milk carton and grab your materials . . .</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglp7xHYPTOI89xc3OwJ5uV5hVkymgDg8G7A03WPIWrpcOzimh-lZnfTLDwJ6Yqph_CGwliibdvrF-fbMqrXhJqAF-g3OlSPiVDsk0qgOC0yESNe329GGEEIJQtdhpo6ddI74Pf2ou31qw/s1600/PhotoFunia+2013-09-10+01+41+56+default_jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglp7xHYPTOI89xc3OwJ5uV5hVkymgDg8G7A03WPIWrpcOzimh-lZnfTLDwJ6Yqph_CGwliibdvrF-fbMqrXhJqAF-g3OlSPiVDsk0qgOC0yESNe329GGEEIJQtdhpo6ddI74Pf2ou31qw/s320/PhotoFunia+2013-09-10+01+41+56+default_jpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Make yourself a double boiler using a wide pan and a large tin can. Put several cubes of wax into the can, and let the hot water do its thing and melt the wax . . .</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-T830c7-mibzgkbYbYNva295fbZrc2tBHcodWUb6rurxlJjlJ51dC3kx8Fm3ZKIazskkoDLH_eYw7UnsoqlWpact0ksvREmmY1Wa-RAGe8CtHyErFGF8obavUSNWb_qDir55OSp22eQw/s1600/PhotoFunia+2013-09-10+02+00+31+default_jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-T830c7-mibzgkbYbYNva295fbZrc2tBHcodWUb6rurxlJjlJ51dC3kx8Fm3ZKIazskkoDLH_eYw7UnsoqlWpact0ksvREmmY1Wa-RAGe8CtHyErFGF8obavUSNWb_qDir55OSp22eQw/s320/PhotoFunia+2013-09-10+02+00+31+default_jpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Once the wax has melted, gather up a bunch of ice cubes and alternate layers of ice and glitter (you want to make sure you've got glitter going all through your candle) into your milk carton . . .</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrzMUrODrhigR2TNkXka9zDCW7omDPCMeYngf3A3Uh7bKdsjLfcZLZ2y1g7TfeGoBuwzPkSMYK-StjNJNgrDyRTq6snoR17dqvBusuRBdzVtLyFVH9vy66VpJQPHbEtw3Qtb7gikmruXs/s1600/PhotoFunia+2013-09-10+02+01+43+default_jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrzMUrODrhigR2TNkXka9zDCW7omDPCMeYngf3A3Uh7bKdsjLfcZLZ2y1g7TfeGoBuwzPkSMYK-StjNJNgrDyRTq6snoR17dqvBusuRBdzVtLyFVH9vy66VpJQPHbEtw3Qtb7gikmruXs/s320/PhotoFunia+2013-09-10+02+01+43+default_jpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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So, I skipped the part about tying candle wick around the pencil and letting it drop into the carton. You should do that before doing all of this other stuff. </div>
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Moving on . . .once your wax has melted completely, carefully pour it into the carton . . .</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9l561oaxX9lPpAlvPdAPsS6PmM3mn3BDzAFfBBqiv6zfjqTaIzyzsSEmsY4UxIf49VU0ByZxkkGWwM_CdYqaMXhkJsTf1sQUs13buGcP7dNdbbEq1f3Vx_QzRav0zsiDbzr8U0hyk6k/s1600/PhotoFunia+2013-09-10+02+03+37+default_jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr9l561oaxX9lPpAlvPdAPsS6PmM3mn3BDzAFfBBqiv6zfjqTaIzyzsSEmsY4UxIf49VU0ByZxkkGWwM_CdYqaMXhkJsTf1sQUs13buGcP7dNdbbEq1f3Vx_QzRav0zsiDbzr8U0hyk6k/s320/PhotoFunia+2013-09-10+02+03+37+default_jpg.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And here's what you've got . . .</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDacLRJM6uuSijmO275yJc-q4_tG8K3HOZZxvvlB-DGtZR-zY3etgcOYKAWRddQDPa45J3LsrvoLUy6s_OlkQk5aG5L9LUHV5qf5mmo-P9u2inAMnoqJyQ64hFcPb9BSLpuNcDh-Pbp7A/s1600/PhotoFunia+2013-09-10+02+07+21+default_jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDacLRJM6uuSijmO275yJc-q4_tG8K3HOZZxvvlB-DGtZR-zY3etgcOYKAWRddQDPa45J3LsrvoLUy6s_OlkQk5aG5L9LUHV5qf5mmo-P9u2inAMnoqJyQ64hFcPb9BSLpuNcDh-Pbp7A/s320/PhotoFunia+2013-09-10+02+07+21+default_jpg.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
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Tomorrow we'll untie the wick from the pencil and peel away the paper carton. The melted ice will leave holes all throughout the candle, making for a pretty little piece of decoration.</div>
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Check back for the finished product!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-55639132542645686352013-09-10T09:33:00.003-07:002013-09-10T13:56:36.298-07:00The TruthWe're smack-dab in the middle of Gavin's school day. He's working on science and I've just changed Maya's diaper and took her to a new 'center', so I have a few minutes to write about the truth of these days.<br />
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Rewind just a bit . . . I started making frequent trips to Birmingham a few weeks ago for Maya's therapy. Right now, we're concentrating on OT just so she can figure out how to eat. Plain and simple . . . how to eat. Oooooh, no. NOT plain and simple.<br />
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When the therapist says, "I'm not sure how we're gonna handle this", you know the ride has just begun, and the hill you're descending down is about to go into a black hole. A hole that is JET BLACK, and gives no hint of light from the other side. <br />
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We're in the hole, and its dark. <br />
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Things are hard. They're hard for us as Maya's family, and I know they're hard for her. She doesn't understand the rubber contraption that's being circled around her mouth, just to get her used to a different feeling. She doesn't understand the syringe with the big tube on the end that's put way back in her mouth. She doesn't understand the feeling and taste of the food that's put on the back of her tongue. To her, its an invasion. To us, its basic. <br />
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She has no idea how to make herself swallow. While being fed with a bottle, the food is just automatically put down her throat, and she doesn't have to make an effort to get it where it needs to go. Her cognitive skills are so low right now, that her brain has no idea what to do. We don't know if its from her Down's being so severe, or if its a combination of that and the neglect she suffered in an institution. We'll never know for sure, but the truth is, we're all frustrated.<br />
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I've prayed so hard over the last couple of weeks for God to give me the understanding and patience I need to get through her at-home part of her therapy. I mean, how in the world do you TEACH a person to just simply swallow? <br />
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God has answered my prayers, and I've made it through these feedings with a renewed since of compassion for my little girl. When I stop to think about all of the things she's missed . . . love, touch, food, eye contact . . . all of those basic things in life, I have to literally 'renew my mind' and realize that this little girl is in need. She's in need of the basics, and the truth is, God has brought her here for us to provide those things for her. <br />
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I know that I've painted such a pretty picture of adoption. What I feel like I've failed on, though, is bringing the truth to some aspects. I would never, ever want to discourage a family that's considering adoption. And I would never, ever want to change a thing that's happened with us over the past year. The hard part of it is not knowing what in the world really happened with your child. WHY did whatever-that-was have to happen? How long will these hard things last? Will she EVER talk to me? Will she EVER learn how to eat food? Will she EVER learn to walk?<br />
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Remember where that point of obedience to the Lord comes in, and you develop that compassion for tiny children who never even know what they're missing? That's when you become overwhelmed with a sense of urgency for those just like Maya who are dying simply because they're 5, and they've been moved to an adult mental institution. This happened to Stacey, a little girl in Eastern Europe with Down Syndrome. She 'aged out' of her orphanage and was moved, and died just a few months later. WHY? Because she was neglected. Sheer neglect. You can't treat a mentally disabled 5-year-old as an adult and expect him or her to thrive. <br />
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Every day takes a new energy. And every day, God provides that new energy. While we worked on feeding this morning, God gave me the encouragement I needed. Maya swallowed probably 30% (I have no idea how I came up with that percentage, but it seems to make sense) of what was put in her mouth. That seems like a low number, but compared to other days, this was a pretty successful feeding time. <br />
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She doesn't enjoy it at all. She fights for most of the session, but somehow a little bit made it to her tummy. We're hoping that the more we do this, she'll recognize the routine and keep swallowing. As far as her PT goes, she doesn't enjoy her tummy time much, either, but if one of the other kids gets in front of her as we're working, its enough of a distraction that we can get through ten minutes or so of playtime in that position. <br />
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My friend and sounding board, Tesney, wrote a <a href="http://www.oureyesopened.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">blog post</a> last week kinda laying it all out. All adoptions require sacrifice, extra time, lots of money, and all aspects of understanding. With very special needs, though, comes a whole different myriad of emotions and requirements. But this is absolutely what we wanted, and what God wanted. One thing that's extra-special about Maya is her happiness. She's been through so very much, but she still gives the sweetest smiles and squeals of laughter. Even during feeding sessions, before her tears have even dried on her face, she'll find something to make her laugh. Sometimes in her crib when she's alone, I'll hear her laughing. Simply amazing. <br />
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I've said it before, but I really do think God reveals himself to these special kids in very special ways. His heart is so incredibly close to children, and I believe that sometimes he must comfort her in a way that we're still not able to recognize or do. I know that Maya's life now is so much better than it was three months ago. I don't say that to bring attention to Craig and me, but God is the one that called us to this purpose. He's the one that is equipping us with what we need to provide for ALL of our kids everyday. <br />
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Sometimes I really do have to stop and think of what God has blessed us with. He's given us a child that can find happiness, joy and contentment is almost anything. <br />
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Many times, I have stopped and thought of the ways that he's confirmed what we're doing. And I have to stop and think of my thankfulness to him for the people that have made things easier for us. Just last night, I met a lady that I was buying a jumperoo from. We were messaging back and forth on Facebook, so I told her a little of our story. She was selling this thing to me for $15, which was a steal as far as I was concerned. Maya loves the jumperoo in the church nursery, and its great exercise for her legs. It was very much worth $15. Twenty minutes after I left, I got another message from her saying that her heart told her to tear up my $15 check. She wanted the toy to be a gift. I can't tell you how many times something like that has happened. Sometimes you just need a little confirmation to help you to keep going.<br />
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So what's the truth? The truth is that this whole process is hard. Its trying. Its tiring. We're trying to make sure that our other children continue to feel important, too, while helping one who is weak just learn how to adapt in a home and family. The other truth, though, outweighs all of that. The truth is, Maya is precious. God made her perfectly. God knew her whole picture. God is using this whole bunch of us to bring his plan for her to light. And we're all a family. A family of six . . . praise the Lord for our full quiver!<br />
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The truth is that no matter what challenges we face, God is giving us a love for Maya that makes us want to see her as he does. And because of this, we'll fight for her, claim her, and help her to be everything in the world that he wants her to be. <br />
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Love,<br />
<br />
<br />
Paige<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-50075045466421696112013-08-25T12:24:00.003-07:002013-08-25T12:29:25.503-07:00The Sam's ExperimentLet me start off by making it clear that we ARE NOT wealthy people. Ok. Everybody got that? Good . . . now let's move on.<br />
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Since we ARE NOT wealthy people, our family has learned to live on a monthly budget. This means that at the 1st of every month, Craig and I sit down together and we discuss how much money will come in, and how much money we expect to spend in the different categories we've got lined up. This works well for us. Not that everything always works out to the penny, because there's plenty of times money doesn't come in as expected. And there's plenty of times that things happen that can't be planned for, like car repairs, doctor visits, etc. But for the most part, we plan pretty well the coming in's and going out's. Its really helped us in keeping track of our money and being able to save for various things that we want to do, see, and experience.<br />
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Another thing its helped us to do is stay out of debt. Craig and I have been married for seven years, and through careful planning and a little bit of frugality, we've managed to stay debt-free, with the exception of our monthly house payment. So let me draw your attention back to the first statement. I don't work outside of our home, so we live off of one income. We certainly don't live lavishly. My van is seven years old, and Craig's car is twelve years old, but they're paid for. Our house is pretty big, but it certainly isn't fancy. You won't find a single recessed light bulb, Jacuzzi tub, or swimming pool. For us, its more important to have experiences as a family as opposed to stuff. Not that stuff is bad, but we just like to have fun more. The next point is a little bit of a 'grrr' between me and Craig, but I have to say that he's definitely in the right, because he LOVES to save money. I love to SPEND money. I'm not a big shopper, but again, I love vacations, roller coasters, and airplanes. Those things all involve spending more than $20 at a time. But, we save money and that's important . . . so says Craig. Yes. Roller coasters are not <strike>importa</strike> . . . oh yes they are. Sometimes.<br />
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Anyway, since we became the family that has four children now (see that other post from a couple of weeks ago) we're learning to become even MORE frugal. I love hand-me-downs, garage sales, thrift stores, and SAM'S CLUB. So, here's my point . . .<br />
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Eating out and daily grocery store trips are no fun anymore . . . not at all. Eating out sometimes seemed easier because of schedules that kept us here and there, and if I didn't plan a menu ahead of time, that required me figuring meals out on the fly and heading to Publix EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I know every single aisle in that store, and I can tell you where an exact item is located on the aisle. I don't like knowing that information. If I know it that well, Publix should then hire me to work the phones from home giving out customer service information, so I'd rather be ignorant. <br />
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I had an idea of getting a Sam's card and shopping there monthly for all of the food, personal care, and home cleaning supplies we'd use in a month. The main goal was to buy all of our meat, lunch food, snacks, and drinks. So, me and my mom headed down there the first Saturday that came in August. I didn't have a list, simply because I wasn't sure what all I would find that we'd actually eat. I wish I had taken a picture of my buggy . . . or buggIES. I mean, do you know that Sam's buggies are GINORMOUS? I filled up almost TWO ENTIRE BUGGIES. It was absolutely awesome. I bought it all . . . chicken, pork tenderloins, ground round, sandwich meat, cheese, frozen pizzas, chips, brownies, milk, vegetables, frozen BBQ . . . I can't even tell you all the stuff I bought. What I CAN tell you, though, is that same day, I shooooore did go out and buy myself a deep freezer for the garage. Filled that joker up. That day, I spent $525 on food we'd eat for the entire month and for the other stuff we use frequently. Now, Craig or I will go to Publix once or twice a week for fresh produce, bread, and the 'fillers' that we use for our meals. But. In one month, we've managed to save almost $300 from our food budget alone. If we continue on this track, we'll have saved $3600 by the end of the year. That's just on food cost alone! <br />
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Please don't take all of this the wrong way. I'm not writing this out of arrogance. I've been in the circles of people that were trying to figure out cheaper and easier ways to feed our families, wash our clothes, and still save money in the process. Many times, I've initiated those conversations just trying desperately to get ideas from other mamas. But, oh my goodness, I think I've figured it out! Its by buying a SAM'S MEMBERSHIP! $300 saved in a month is an awful lot for us. I mean, do you realize that's a Six Flags trip?!<br />
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I do. I realize it. And I might just plan a little vacation for us. And the Cowart girls, and maybe even Ellen. But that's a whole 'nuther blog post . . . <br />
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Love,<br />
<br />
Paige<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-31706365837574047342013-08-21T16:26:00.000-07:002013-08-21T16:33:07.083-07:00Cardiology and IAC Check-UpWe've had a week of doctor's appointments.<br />
<br />
We started off Monday at the cardiologist to have a re-check since we ditched three of her heart meds. She's doing really well. So well, in fact, that our kiddo is MEDICINE FREE! Dr. Colvin didn't see the need to continue the Lasix that she was still taking, so he said we were done . . . for now. When he did the ultrasound, we could see that there's still some backflow coming back in once the blood is pumped out, but he didn't think that it was enough to worry about for the time being. He also checked her liver to make sure that there was no swelling there, and we got the all-clear on that, too. We'll go back once more in six weeks to re-check, but he expects everything will be fine. <br />
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Today we went back to the International Adoption Clinic for a follow-up. Things have gotten kind of frustrating the last few days with Maya's eating and drinking, or the lack thereof, really. We've been trying to get her used to a spoon since we left clinic the first time. For the first week, things were really good and we believed that we were making some headway. But, things got frustrating and she really began spitting more out than she took in. We were never really trying to make a 'meal' out of the practice runs, just trying to get her desensitized to objects in her mouth. The good thing is that her gag reflex finally went away. When we first brought her home, and when we were still in Bulgaria, if anything even touched her tongue other than her bottle, she'd instantly gag. She's not doing that anymore, but she's also STOPPED taking her liquids. We were having to give her liquids through a syringe, but the last three days, she got to where she would get really upset, and she'd just hold it in her mouth. Most of it would eventually come out. Frustration doesn't do justice to what we were feeling. We knew she needed to drink, especially before the appointment today. We were going to try and get her blood drawn since we weren't able to do it last time, but it was a no-go again. This is still due to her lack of fluids and a large part is also due to her low muscle tone. Your veins are held in place by your muscles, and when there's no muscle to hold them, they kinda just flop all over the place. That makes trying to get a stick very difficult. We're gonna try that again in three months, hoping that between now and then these issues will be resolved somewhat.<br />
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Back to the liquids and feeding issues . . . Dr. Chambers has told us just to stop trying to do the synringe method. Since we're all getting frustrated with each other, she said it just wasn't worth it. She's peeing well, so she's not dangerously dehydrated. We had a session with the occupational therapist today (who also happens to be a feeding specialist) and she worked with her a lot on the spoon. She also suggested that we try and just see what would happen if we just put straight formula in her bottle. Do you know she took that stuff like a champ out of that bottle? She ended up spitting up a good bit, but she got it in! The plan now is to take the cereal out (since we really only used that to make the bottle thicker . . . there's really no nutritional benefit there) and just put formula and baby food in. I tried that with her once we got home, and she did GREAT. She did spit up some, but, by golly, she took it, and that was the goal. I also tried working with her on her spoon feeding. It wasn't anywhere near perfect, but we got through it and I think she kept a good bit in. The problem is in swallowing. With a bottle, she can't help but swallow. It all comes from that little natural reflex we have as babies. But with a spoon, its a different process, different feeling, and a different method that's completely foreign to her. She doesn't even really know what in the world is going in her mouth, because all she's known is the feeling of that bottle nipple. So, any progress is good progress, and today we've made an teeny-weeny amount of progress.<br />
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Maya also had an audiology appointment today. Normal hearing tests would show that sound is acknowledged between 0-25 decibels, but most of her results came in a 40-50 decibels. That may seem a little worrisome, but the audiologist thought that those results came in like that because that's where a child at her developmental age (6-9 months) would score. The computer-based test that evaluated her cochlea looked fine, and they relied heavily on that, too. <br />
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We'll keep seeing the feeding specialist in Birmingham until we get this resolved. Its inconvenient, its costly, its frequent, but we vowed to do whatever it took to take care of her. We want the best for her, and as far as this issue goes, this is best. <br />
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We have a meeting with Early Intervention next Thursday, so we'll see where that takes us with her other therapy needs. <br />
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Keep praying for us. We all need understanding, patience, and GRACE to get through this 'stuff'. Its not all fun and games, but we knew it wouldn't be. Everything else is great, so we can be thankful that we only have to really focus on one big problem for now.<br />
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Love y'all!<br />
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PaigeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-30902988002749255432013-08-14T11:52:00.003-07:002013-08-14T11:59:15.264-07:00We Have FOUR Kids NowFour.<br />
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Four kids.<br />
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Craig and I walk around absent-mindedly sometimes just repeating this statement.<br />
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WE HAVE FOUR KIDS.<br />
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We're learning that constant noise, constant questions, and constant runs up and down the stairs<br />
are very normal these days.<br />
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One day last week, we started laughing hysterically with what all was going on at the same time. We had just finished dinner. I had a load of laundry in the washing machine. Our washing machine isn't balanced right or something, so lots of times, it sounds and feels like the entire house we live in is being shook right off of its foundation. And at this particular moment, it started its spin cycle and we all started movin' and shakin'. At the same particular moment, Maya was in her bouncy seat, moving her head 'round and 'round making her 'uuuuhhhhh ahhhhhh' noises, getting louder as her head moved around to the front and softer as it moved to the back. Daisee had gotten pretty furious about the TV not being on her favorite show, so she was just standing there, screaming. Gavin was sitting with his elbows propped up on the table, BEGGING me to let him get up, because he just couldn't eat ANY. MORE. And Ryan was just . . . well, he was just there, taking it all in. <strong><em>Please, people</em></strong>. Imagine this, will you? Craig and I just looked at each other. I mean, what do you do? You just laugh. Then you say . . . 'We have four kids'.<br />
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We're really beginning to learn what the new normal is like. Sometimes its hectic . . . oh, good grief, its always hectic. ALWAYS. Ryan is going back and forth to football practice, sometimes twice a day. He doesn't drive, so I'm usually the one going up and down the road. I'm SO THANKFUL that TCHS is just a little ways down the road. He loves being the team manager. The first few days he was interacting with the team members a lot, working with the kickers and the passers some. Lately, though, he's been filming the practices. Its been hot and I've been waiting on him to start complaining about the heat, but he really hasn't. He's made some new friends, and he's reconnected with old friends from his elementary school, so its been really good for him. He's about to promote again with Civil Air Patrol. He's almost halfway to completing the program, so from here on its gonna be a lot of hard work for him. His progress and promotions will slow down some because of that, but the dedication and hard work he's done with them will be successful and worth it in the end, I'm sure. Especially if he continues to desire a position with the Navy or the Air Force. As the days progress, I'm believing more and more that this is where he's headed. Although he's only fourteen, he's solid in what he desires to do with his life, and at this point, I think he's gonna stick with it.<br />
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Gavin got braces a couple of weeks ago . . .<br />
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He was pretty excited about getting them. Now I think he's pretty excited about getting them taken off. Poor kid needs lots of work done on his teeth, and this is just the initial stage of getting started. I hear the cash register bell dingin' away already. </div>
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We're getting ready to start school again. We won't start for another couple of weeks, 'cause there's a lot going on right now (see above description). We're gonna wait until Daisee starts back to preschool so there's only one other little kid here to take care of while we're taking care of schoolwork during the day. Sometime amidst the chaos, I found time to have already done a month's worth of lesson plans. I didn't do that many at a time even before we had an extra kid. I consider that quite an accomplishment, so YAY ME. I've never been much for artsy-type stuff before now, but we're doing lots of creative stuff this year. I went last night and got most of the things we need for our first month . . .</div>
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When you see the Plaster of Paris box, you know things are about to get good. That's not everything, but you get the idea of where I'm goin'.<br />
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Daisee is continuing to act like a 30-year-old. I don't know where she gets all of her 'stuff', but she's a priss. I was making her bed the other day and she wanted to know why. I told her that some people were coming to look at our house, and she told me how 'interesting' she thought that was. She loves to paint. Everything. She loves to paint everything. Not just paper. See? . . .<br />
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Don't miss the fact that my kitchen table is its own work of art. She's only halfway through here, so by the time she was done, it was hard to tell the table from the paper. She's excited to go back to school. Almost every year she's gone she's had to be PEELED off of me the first few days, but I don't think that'll be a problem this year. Craig and I have decided that from now on, including kindergarten, she's either gonna be the teacher's pet, or the teacher's nightmare. You've really got to appreciate the kind of personality she has to love her to death. But I do. She cracks me up . . . a lot.<br />
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And Maya.<br />
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Maya is doing really, really great. We're working on some initial home therapy exercises, and, weeeellll . . . it doesn't go so great most of the time. I think she still thinks a spoon is a creation of Satan, and tummy time isn't usually pleasant. We only spoon-feed and make her play on her tummy a few minutes a day, but I think we're all glad when that part's over. However, she's becoming a lot more responsive to being held and loved on. I even got a big smile from her this morning as she was laying on my lap . . .<br />
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She'll have her follow-up appointments with Dr. Chambers and Dr. Colvin next week to make sure that progress is definitely being made. She'll also see an audiologist to check her hearing. After that, I think we'll be done with medical stuff for a while.</div>
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We've shown our house once. Things are slow with that right now, but we're pretty confident that it'll sell. Maybe not this month or next, but somebody will look at it with the same eyes we did once and fall in love with it. We're hoping to move into a new construction somewhere, so we're keeping up with what's available around here.</div>
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So things are good. We're constantly trying to figure out ways to slow down, but we've about decided that's just really not possible right now. Craig and I talked just last night about the pace of everything, but I guess when it comes down to it, as long as everybody's generally happy and active in the things they're involved in, that's probably the point at where we're supposed to be. I can't wait for fall. Its hard to get out of the house right now when the air is as thick as butter. When that first cool front comes through, though, we'll hit the parks and learn to love the outdoors again. At least that'll feel like slowing down, if we can all get outside and just run a little bit, you know? </div>
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We have four kids and we're crazy busy, but we're thankful and enjoying our lives with them. They make us laugh, make us love, and make us want to bang our heads against a wall sometimes, but there's not a single thing we would change. </div>
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It's a crazy, wonderful, beautiful life.</div>
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Love,</div>
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Paige</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-8322126926985998622013-08-05T12:53:00.005-07:002013-08-05T12:54:51.785-07:00International Adoption Clinic AppointmentToday was a big day. <br />
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Maya had her first comprehensive doctor's visit today, and we couldn't be more pleased with how everything seems to be doing with her.<br />
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The only concern we have at this point is that she's a little dehydrated. Nothing serious, but there were problems drawing blood today. Problems to the point of . . . like, they didn't get any. Her veins were just too small and they attributed this to her lack of fluid intake. Maya has never liked to drink any kind of thin liquid. She takes a bottle like its her last (the kind that's got all of her solid food mushed up in it), but juice, water, pedialyte . . . all of that is a big no-no to her. Its concerned me all along, because it just seems to make sense that the 'meal' bottles she takes just isn't enough to give her the hydration she needs. I've started just taking a syringe and using that to put juice in her mouth, forcing her to swallow it. I do that a time or two after every bottle, but she doesn't like it at all. We'll go back to the clinic in a few weeks for a re-check, so we've got to make sure that we've gotten plenty of fluids in her before that visit so they can get the blood drawn. Those tests are some of the most important ones we need to have done, so that's gonna be key for our next visit. <br />
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The next big step is beginning her therapies. This stuff is all still very much up in the air. The doctors there really want her in RISE, but RISE really wants us in Early Intervention (and I know I didn't update you on all of that, its just been hard to explain). Things haven't exactly gone the way we wanted them to. As is life, ya know? What's meant to be will be in the end, and we'll do everything we can according to what's best for Maya. Dr. Chambers just thinks we've <strong>GOT</strong> to get <strong>SOMETHING</strong> going, especially speech and occupational therapy, because she's just so far behind. She can't communicate at all, and occupational therapy is important in helping her learn to eat solid food, and in learning to use her hands.<br />
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We had a chance to ask all of our specific questions, and Dr. Chambers was phenomenal at taking her time to answer each one thoroughly. One of the few doctor's appointments I've ever been to where the doctor didn't seem rushed. One thing that is different for Maya, because of her Down's diagnosis, is her process with attachment/bonding. This was <strong>SUPERBOLOUS </strong>(yes, that's a word . . . as of now) for me, because I'm ready to see my NBC people. Look for me Wednesday night, 'cause me and my biddies will ALL be there! She's just going to react differently than other adopted children. If you think about many people with Down's, they're just all very 'people' people, so it just makes sense that, regardless, she's gonna probably just kinda 'take' to everybody. She DEFINITELY needs to know that we're mama, daddy, brother, sister, and know what family is. And we're not about to start leaving her behind without one of us for several weeks, but at least we can kinda come out now and revisit life as we know it. VERY. HAPPY. NEWS. <br />
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The whole attachment thing is going very well now. I definitely think she's developing/developed those bonds with me, and the rest of the family is falling right into place. This is kinda the order things are supposed to go in, so I'm very pleased with her progress. She likes to be held and played with for a longer amount of time now, so that was a big thing I was waiting on. <br />
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So, we're moving right along in the right direction. Things will fall into place as they need to in relation to therapies, so we're doing what we need to do and letting God handle the rest. He's in control of it all, anyway. <br />
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Thanks for the continued prayers for everything. I know I've said it lots of times, but we just really appreciate everything . . . the donations, the gifts, the dinners, the babysitting . . . just everything. If you've participated in any way, we couldn't have done it without you, and I sincerely mean that. <br />
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Ok. I'm out. Have a lovely, air-conditioned afternoon :).<br />
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Love,<br />
<br />
PaigeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-60157400452000184562013-08-02T09:20:00.002-07:002013-08-02T09:21:35.857-07:00Yay, Maya!This brought tears to my eyes today.<br />
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It was the first time I knew she understood me.<br />
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We've worked on this since the day we picked her up from the orphanage. To most, its not a ginormous deal, but to me, its a breakthrough. <br />
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Its a simple command . . ."Clap your hands, Maya!"<br />
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Any other time I've said this to her, a blank stare is all that's returned.<br />
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But today . . .<br />
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<a href="http://youtu.be/jMGKW4LSUs8">http://youtu.be/jMGKW4LSUs8</a><br />
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She understands me. I know she does, and it makes me so, so happy. I hope and pray that her understanding of love and family is increasing, too, and that it brings her a feeling of safety and comfort.<br />
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What a happy day :).</div>
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Love,</div>
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Paige</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-73199623673581850682013-07-31T13:07:00.001-07:002013-07-31T13:09:25.909-07:00Lifesong Farms<div style="text-align: center;">
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<strong><em>From Lifesong . . .</em></strong></div>
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<a href="http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/13-7-MM-Email.jpeg"><img alt="13-7 MM Email" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11901" height="124" src="http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/13-7-MM-Email.jpeg" width="600" /></a></div>
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<strong>Lifesong Farms.</strong> Through the partnership and expertise from our friends at <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0015XEhp1ABMAA4ppAZfEgXSENA6dINXaswzHU1Tx3NorPMkbkHEg2OmOUwRoxViFs1PuGEJLb-Hh41u3-NpVa_Y7jduviqdEEogwkajYFnAS4GUjSChXJdlA==" target="_blank">Plant Sciences, Inc.</a>, 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 <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0015XEhp1ABMAA4ppAZfEgXSENA6dINXaswzHU1Tx3NorPMkbkHEg2OmOUwRoxViFs1PuGEJLb-Hh7YbnSV4lyes7e51WGJDa59gfVNRXf17h8IU26t1nz_VLShfT-YNxwnGJyUuCEUkrL-T4FuFdHPXDoay41IGgD85CA9q4ndTrw=" target="_blank">sustainable businesses</a> to help fund on-going orphan care.<br />
Enjoy these updates from Lifesong Farms in Zambia and Ukraine...<br />
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"OUR LIVES HAVE BEEN CHANGED..." // Zambia</h2>
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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.<br />
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<a href="http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Zambia-Employment-page.jpeg"><img alt="Zambia Employment page" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11903" height="310" src="http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Zambia-Employment-page.jpeg" width="690" /></a></div>
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<b><i><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0015XEhp1ABMAA4ppAZfEgXSENA6dINXaswzHU1Tx3NorPMkbkHEg2OmOUwRoxViFs1PuGEJLb-Hh7YbnSV4lyes7e51WGJDa59gfVNRXf17h8IU26t1nz_VLShfT-YNxwnGJyUuCEUkrL-T4FuFdHPXDoay41IGgD8C6lEXBdr-kilUNexypHUuA==">Learn more about Lifesong Farms-Zambia>></a></i></b></div>
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BERRIES SOLD IN GROCERIES // Ukraine</h2>
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<a href="http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Sales-9.jpeg"><img alt="Sales 9" class=" wp-image-11902" height="461" src="http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Sales-9-1024x768.jpeg" width="614" /></a>
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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.<br />
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<a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0015XEhp1ABMAA4ppAZfEgXSENA6dINXaswzHU1Tx3NorPMkbkHEg2OmOUwRoxViFs1PuGEJLb-Hh7YbnSV4lyes7e51WGJDa59gfVNRXf17h8IU26t1nz_VLShfT-YNxwnGJyUuCEUkrL-T4FuFdHPXDoay41IGgD8xBV6yfuHA7BbH107LBQriw=="><b><i>Learn more about Lifesong Farms-Ukraine>></i></b></a></div>
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READ MORE...</h2>
<b>First Harvest is In! - </b>Lifesong Farms-Ukraine share pictures and thoughts from their first harvest this year. <b><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0015XEhp1ABMAA4ppAZfEgXSENA6dINXaswzHU1Tx3NorPMkbkHEg2OmOUwRoxViFs1PuGEJLb-Hh7YbnSV4lyes7e51WGJDa59gfVNRXf17h8ZD40BMNlVQrIgyC-HPPWOsOYX_wvLsmIlOaQHFLYrwZI149RTXDeKpoPTvRSkjNeUYDyKBWjNEUmcECJ4Xr7S7bXIeQWvc9g=">Read More</a></b><br />
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<b>Brush to Berries - </b>Listen in to how Lifesong Farms got started in Zambia. <b><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0015XEhp1ABMAA4ppAZfEgXSENA6dINXaswzHU1Tx3NorPMkbkHEg2OmOUwRoxViFs1PuGEJLb-Hh5PcbhyeQxM4BIQ7gUJV23jA_bLcEfbWCo=">Watch Video</a></b><br />
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<b>A Growing Potential - </b>Orphan graduates, Andrei and Sergei, receive intentional and godly mentorship through Lifesong Farms. <b><a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0015XEhp1ABMAA4ppAZfEgXSENA6dINXaswzHU1Tx3NorPMkbkHEg2OmOUwRoxViFs1PuGEJLb-Hh7YbnSV4lyes7e51WGJDa59gfVNRXf17h8ZD40BMNlVQrIgyC-HPPWOXjAHAHSrJn9pj2E61va-FZX1KE2iHB6I_Dzl12aNLw5qMnNadzk8SBFvr2dg7RycNv9hfwL8dfQ=">Read more</a></b><br />
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<b>Sustainable Business - </b>Learn more about Lifesong's sustainable business efforts in Ukraine, Zambia and Honduras. <a href="http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?e=0015XEhp1ABMAA4ppAZfEgXSENA6dINXaswzHU1Tx3NorPMkbkHEg2OmOUwRoxViFs1PuGEJLb-Hh7YbnSV4lyes7e51WGJDa59gfVNRXf17h8ZD40BMNlVQrIgyC-HPPWOXjAHAHSrJn9pj2E61va-FZX1KE2iHB6I_Dzl12aNLw5qMnNadzk8SBFvr2dg7RycNv9hfwL8dfQ="><b>Read More</b></a>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-16459470193068846222013-07-31T10:59:00.000-07:002013-07-31T11:08:32.073-07:00Life These DaysThings 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<br />
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I love this picture. It's all my little people, and I love them.<br />
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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 :).</div>
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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 . . . </div>
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And yes, I was pretty wet after this.</div>
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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. </div>
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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. </div>
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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"!</div>
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Love,</div>
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Paige</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-77256191820064067832013-07-27T19:08:00.004-07:002013-07-27T19:08:42.835-07:00RISE UpdateI made a phone call a few minutes before 11 this morning to Mrs. Terry, and she called back this afternoon with very encouraging news.<br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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Sometimes the hand of God reaches down and really pulls you really close. There's no better feeling than that.<br />
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Love,<br />
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Paige<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-10051861061809818022013-07-26T18:18:00.000-07:002013-07-26T18:47:37.295-07:00Pray NOW!God himself might as well have been standing in front of us tonight at Steel City Pops.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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So, I thanked her profusely, assuring her I would call. I told Craig, "Do ya THINK God put us all here . . . right now?!"<br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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 <a href="http://paigeandreallife.blogspot.com/2012_08_01_archive.html">here</a> to see where it all began.<br />
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. . . and thank you :).<br />
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Love,<br />
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PaigeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-20288436839368771702013-07-24T07:03:00.003-07:002013-07-24T07:04:15.941-07:00Quick UpdateSo I think I have 10-15 minutes. Ready? GO!<br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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So. That get's us all caught up. Maybe next <strike>year</strike> <strike>week</strike> . . . 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.<br />
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Love,<br />
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PaigeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-51800453236316293382013-07-19T07:27:00.002-07:002013-07-19T08:00:08.629-07:007 AMThis 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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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 . . .<br />
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And we got this today . . .<br />
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This means we're done. We get to go to the house now.<br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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Today was the day that adoption didn't feel good. Bulgaria didn't feel good, and I didn't feel good . . . at all. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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The artist has just picked up the brush, and the smile on his face indicates that he's making something beautiful . . .<br />
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Love, <br />
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PaigeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-12675655273110050212013-07-18T10:55:00.002-07:002013-07-18T10:57:57.144-07:00We're At Third Base . . .The last of our official business in Bulgaria is DONE.<br />
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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.<br />
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I. Can't. Wait.<br />
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I want our normal now. Its time to start life. I have no idea what its going to be like, but I wanna try.<br />
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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.<br />
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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. <br />
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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?<br />
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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. <br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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!<br />
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Aiight . . . over and out. Tomorrow's another day.<br />
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Love, <br />
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PaigeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-24807689263371990982013-07-17T10:51:00.003-07:002013-07-17T10:51:29.065-07:00Two In One Day!It has been a fantastic day. Seriously . . . it couldn't have been better<br />
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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 . . .<br />
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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 . . .<br />
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This is the entrance to the Department Center. It's a beautiful building . . .</div>
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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 . . .</div>
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We stopped to get a picture of she and I, and I have to post both of them. This one is the 'good' </div>
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one. The boring 'good' one . . .</div>
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But this one is HILARIOUS. Look at that face of hers!</div>
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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 . . .</div>
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If you can't see that one, try this one from YouTube...</div>
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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. </div>
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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.</div>
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Tomorrow she'll have her medical appointment in the morning, and our Embassy appointment in the afternoon. Pray everything goes well!</div>
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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.</div>
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Ok . . . that's it for today. I'll check back in tomorrow!</div>
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Love, </div>
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Paige</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-48045731056347932272013-07-17T03:57:00.000-07:002013-07-17T04:08:14.555-07:00PicturesI'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 . . .<br />
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Ever wondered what those big thunderstorm-forming clouds look like from the top?</div>
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What the city of Chicago looks like from the air . . . </div>
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This is a soviet-era monument that a lot of Bulgarians want to see come down . . .</div>
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Right after we left the orphanage . . .</div>
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Lunchtime on Gotcha Day . . .</div>
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Our driver and translator, Javor . . .</div>
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Maya's orphanage director . . .</div>
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Belinda Carlisle is coming to Sofia!</div>
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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.</div>
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I LOVE this picture . . .</div>
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And this one . . .</div>
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Our city view of Sofia from our 7th floor balcony . . .</div>
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First picture of mama and Maya . . .</div>
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First feeding . . .</div>
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First bath . . .</div>
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Our hotel . . .</div>
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What feeding time looks like . . .</div>
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I'll try to remember to post more pics on the blog and not just my Facebook profile!</div>
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Love, </div>
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Paige</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2969164096225597877.post-16555880499307590862013-07-16T11:07:00.000-07:002013-07-16T11:10:10.551-07:00Bulgarian Grannies Don't Like Cold FeetDay two has been another success . . . for Maya.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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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.<br />
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Love y'all lots,<br />
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PaigeAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15059340783608622192noreply@blogger.com0