Celebrating 5 months together!!

Last year on Mother's Day I wrote this post.   This year, I am no longer waiting to hold my children in my arms...they are currently napping in their bedroom.  It's been quite a journey to motherhood for me, and I am so so thankful EVERY day for the blessing of our girls.  My heart goes out today to the moms who are waiting still.  To those who are struggling with infertility or loss, to those in the midst of their adoptions who are waiting to bring their children home and ESPECIALLY to my dear friends who are longing for their children who are currently STUCK in Russia - my heart is with you today, I remember the pain and the longing, I will NEVER forget how that feels - know that I am thinking of you and praying for you and your children.

So, this is my first mother's day with my children in my arms - but today also marks 5 months home for Dasha and Emily!!  I can't believe it's been 5 months already!!  Our girls are growing and thriving.  They're changing so quickly.  I'm so blessed to be their mom!!  They are learning so many new things and gaining confidence - I am proud of how their growth!!  We love you so much Dasha and Emily!!! 

Here's a few pictures from the past month!  (Just kidding for some reason, blogger is NOT letting me upload pictures - I'll try again later!)

Happy 4 Months Home!!!!

Wow!  4 months home!  I can hardly believe it!!  We've actually got a visit from our social worker on the calendar already for our 6 month post-placement report coming up fairly soon.  In some ways it feels like we just got home with the girls and in others it feels like they've been here forever!!

Both girls are doing really fantastic!  I am so thrilled with how they are growing and blossoming.  They hardly even look like the same children!!  It's amazing!!  They are growing physically, emotionally, socially and academically - and we have a true picture of redemption in our home! Thank you God for the blessing of these girls!! :)

I don't have physical stats to show you how much they've grown - but I have had to switch out a lot of their clothes for bigger ones!  Their hair has grown SO much - it's shiny and getting thicker, and I have to trim their bangs constantly. :)

Emily has gone from taking maybe 10 steps in a row in December when we got home, to RUNNING everywhere and CLIMBING!!  She navigates the 4 rungs of the ladder on our Little Tykes slide with no problem and just the other day, climbed from a chair onto the kitchen table to dump out the salt shaker and that same day climbed from a chair to the piano - because she figured out we were stashing stuff out of her way on top of the piano!  She has a ton of signs, is starting to try to talk more and more and blows our mind every day with the things she observes once or twice and then does for herself.  She has shown interest in potty training, but isn't quite ready yet.  She enjoys playing in the dirt, dumping out cupboards, drawers, toy boxes and anything else she can get her hands on, playing outside, snuggles with mom and dad, "Choo Choo Soul" on the Disney channel, eating, and doing anything her big sister is doing!!!  Emily enjoys playing with her friends in our local Down syndrome toddler playgroup.  She can have her "Terrible Two" moments of course, but we love her so much and she is such a joy!!

Dasha has been growing physically like crazy!!  She is getting so big!!  We are starting to see her gain confidence in things and show more preferences towards foods, toys and things like that.  She has several words that she uses and tons of signs.  We are SO proud of Dasha and the way she has taken to life in a family. It's much harder for an older child who has lived institutionally and she is really doing well.  She LOVES playing outside, has found a love for Mickey Mouse and will yodel when she sees him - thanks to the character on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse "Toodles."  She yodels "Oh toodles!"  It's pretty adorable. ;)   She has discovered she likes to play the iPad and navigates it pretty well.  She likes to set up tea parties for Emily and I during the day, and carries a stuffed seal around like a baby.  Dasha loves going to Sunday school at church, singing and dancing and helping mommy around the house! She's very helpful at the grocery store, sweeping the floor, emptying the dishwasher and clearing the table! 

Dasha had a big week last week and had surgery to have her tonsils and adenoids out and tubes put in her ears!  She did SO fantastic with the surgery and recovery!!  She was an absolute trooper through the pain and is almost back to her old self now.  She's eating most foods again now, with the exception of really salty or crunchy things. (toast, chips, pretzels)   We have seen an immediate improvement in her hearing now that she has the tubes in her ears and we expect for that to continue to improve.  Her breathing has gotten SO much better as well - she can now breathe through her nose for the first time!!!   She has been sleeping a little better, and we expect that to continue to improve as she finishes healing and realizes she doesn't have to wake up several times during the night! :) 

Dasha is going to play baseball on an adaptive baseball team this spring - we go to a meet and greet tomorrow for her team - and we're really excited! I think she's going to really enjoy it! She loves to do anything active!!

The girls enjoyed their first Easter home with an Easter egg hunt at church and lots of family time!!  Their sister relationship is really blossoming too - it's so fun to see!  Although in true sister fashion, they love each other one moment and 2 minutes later are fighting! :)

I have zillions of pictures I could leave you with - but I'll try to limit it to just a few!!  (I'll pick a few for this post, and then do a pictures only post next week!) Be sure to check out my facebook - because I have tons more there!!  (if you send me a friend request - please send me a quick message either in a comment here or on FB so I know who you are and why you're requesting to be my friend!!) 

Happy World Down Syndrome Day!!!

Happy World Down Syndrome Day from Dasha and Emily!!!! 

I realize our journey to have children with Down syndrome is a little different than most, but our lives are SO blessed because of Down syndrome!! If it wasn't for their extra chromosome, these girls wouldn't be our daughters today and they would still be existing in Russian orphanages. To be honest, most days I forget about the fact that they even have Down syndrome. They're just Dasha and Emily.  I have to thank all of our friends and family for loving our girls as Dasha and Emily. Not as little girls with Down syndrome - just as silly, sassy, sometimes naughty, cute as can be little girls. We couldn't love them more and we so appreciate how much you all love them as well! :)

The words of the song "For Good" from the musical "Wicked" are so fitting for our lives with our girls....

"I've heard it said, that people come into our lives for a reason. Bringing something we must learn. And we are led to those who help us most to grow. If we let them and we help them in return. Well, I don't know if I believe that's true, but I know I'm who I am today, because I knew you... Like a comet pulled from orbit as it passes the sun. Like a stream that meets a boulder, halfway through the wood. Who can say if I've been changed for the better? Because I knew you I have been changed for good."

Thank you Dasha and Emily for changing our lives for good! We couldn't imagine our lives with out you!!!!

LOVED!!!!

If you need a good cry this Valentine's Day - you should watch this video!!! :) It's absolutely beautiful - made by my friend Heather - in honor of all our precious children adopted from Russia who are SO LOVED and those still waiting who deserve the love of a family.... *you've been warned - grab the tissues* (also you'll see a couple of familiar faces in this one!)




Happy Valentine's Day from Dasha and Emily - who are LOVED so very much!!!!

 

Re-fillable "squeeze pouches" for kids...

Since posting last night I have had several questions/comments about the re-fillable "squeeze pouches" I bought for the girls.  I bought mine at Walmart, but have found several versions online as well - I actually think I'll order a few more! :) 

These are what I bought at Walmart:

It was $7.50 for the two pack.  Dasha likes them just fine, but Emily gets frustrated because the lid is attached - so it ends up whacking her in the face.  The spout part is fine for her, but the lid makes her mad. :) 

I am planning ordering these online however.  They are more less the same thing, but the lid is removable (and you can order replacements if you lose one!) - so I think they will work a little better for Emily.  They are about the same price as the Walmart ones, but right now there is a 20% discount if you use this code: SWEETHEARTDEAL20  I also love that their website has TONS of recipes for different purees you can make!!  I will let you know how we like these once they show up! :)

So far for the girls I've made spinach, blueberries and applesauce (using store bought applesauce as the base) and carrots (steamed), mango and applesauce.  I have some kale, zucchini, and butternut squash in the fridge to use this week.  I've also been making them lots of smoothies using plain greek yogurt, a banana, some fruit and a TON of spinach!  They ate those for breakfast this morning  and both had two huge helpings! :) 

Hope this helps!!!!

2 months home!!!!

Oh my goodness - I am the worst blogger!!!  I apologize - some day my life will allow me to blog again! :) 

Today marks 2 months home for our girls!!  WOW!!  So hard to believe that two months have passed since we stepped off that plane in Portland.  I have zillions of pictures on facebook -it's so much easier right now to just dump a bunch of photos on there!! 

We've been busy over the past couple of months, and the girls are doing GREAT!!  We have had several doctors/specialists appointments for both girls - and still have a few more.  We saw the Ear, Nose and Throat specialist this week, and learned that Dasha will need to have her tonsils out and tubes put in her ears soon.  Emily will likely need tubes before long as well.  We were actually pretty positive we would find that out at this appointment, so it wasn't too much of a shock!!

Both girls are growing like weeds and learning new things quicker than we can teach them!!!  Dasha has gained about 5-6 pounds since we got home and Emily has gained about 4.  They have filled out so much - they look like different kids!!  Their hair has grown so much thicker and shinier, Emily has gotten 3 teeth since we got home, and Dasha's adult tooth has started to come in (and her other bottom tooth is starting to get loose!).  They've had haircuts once, and are about due for another one! :)  Emily is a full-time walker now and has started to run.  She really doesn't want to be carried anymore, ESPECIALLY if we're going out the front door, she LOVES to walk out the door and down the steps! 

Both girls have been learning sign language like crazy and starting to speak a few words in English as well.  Dasha's signs include:  eat/food, water, banana, hot, more, please, cat, dog, elephant, giraffe, bird, monkey, frog, fish, coat, bath....there's probably more and I just can't remember them! She is trying more and more to speak.  She'll say mama and daddy, Emily, hot and "Pee Yew" when I change Emily's diaper. ;)  Emily's list of signs is similar to Dasha's and she has about the same spoken words.  I am thrilled with how quickly they are learning!!  It's important to remember that neither girl had any real spoken language in Russia - so this is exciting progress!!!  Dasha really only had maybe 3 words in Russian that she spoke.  She babbles a lot - in her own little language - and I think once we get her tonsils out and her tubes in her ears, she's going to be able to hear so much better (she has 6 1/2 years worth of fluid built up...) and she will start trying to speak even more!  This will also help with some of the issues she has with sleep. 

The girls still eat really well, although Emily has been going through a pickier phase.  Totally normal for a 2 year old! :)  Favorite foods include yogurt (they eat plain greek yogurt with just a little fruit in it to sweeten it!), bananas, bagels, lunch meat, string cheese, Emily loves soups! - both girls LOVE those little squeeze pouches of fruits/veggies you can buy - so I bought some re-fillable ones, and have been making fruit/veggie purees at home.  They love smoothies (full of spinach!) too. :) 

It's hard to believe that the girls have been home for 2 months, yet at the same time it feels like they have always been here!!!  They have blossomed so much in just a short amount of time - they are like new children!!  We have unlocked their crazy personalities - and our house is a riot! :)  It's never quiet around here!!  I wish their former caregivers could see them now - I think they'd be in shock! :) 

I'll leave you with just a few pictures...

This final picture is a glimpse into how much they've changed.  I put the girls in their "gotcha" outfits yesterday - and took pictures to compare to gotcha day.  Both girls are fighting little colds this week and weren't super excited to get their picture taken - but you can see the changes in their faces and hair - and how much they've grown!!!  These pictures were taken almost exactly 10 weeks apart.  Love wins friends - love wins.