My big Texan

If you live in Texas you know about the big Texan in Amarillo, but you may not know about my big Texan.  Allie and I went out tonight on our date, and she said she was STARVING.  

YES...this is what she ordered....and it was NOT off the kid menu.

If this is how 8 year old girls eat, then I am in BIG trouble with two boys coming down the pipe!

There was not an ounce of meat left on her plate. She cleaned the ribs and ate every morsel of steak. OH MY...

And she's got the belly to prove it. Look at that awesome outfit. She dressed herself to go out tonight...a white shirt and barbeque ribs...awesome choice. She actually came out nicely. This pic was taken at the walgreens..for you guessed it...her passport! Somebody is so excited to be going to KOREA! T minus....8-12 months...and counting.

Maybe next year...

Garrett will make the cut:)

Actually it is looking like we'll be taking a year off....can't very well leave chubby cheeks behind for a week. He might not think we are coming back!  Don't worry I'm not that decorationally (I'm sure that's a word) challenged...my "hanger" has had other things on his list.

A HUGE tiny miracle...5 years later

FIVE years ago today, my first cousin's twin boys were born at roughly 24 weeks gestation...if I remember correctly they were in their 23rd week, but there was some confusion about dates.  They suffered from a rare condition know as twin to twin transfusion syndrome.  They were identical; Parker did not survive long after delivery because his heart could not overcome being over worked while in utero (he was the twin receiving too much of the blood supply).  Peyton, the smaller of the boys who was receiving less of the blood supply was not given much hope either because of his early early gestational age at delivery among other factors involved with this syndrome.  

This is tiny Peyton. There is a quarter by his fist to give you a reference point. He was between 12-15 ounces (I CAN'T REMEMBER), but one the smallest babies every born in Arkansas to survive.

I visited Peyton and my cousin on April 15th...2 full months later. Look how tiny he was. Peyton did not leave the hospital until mid June of that year. Can you imagine what this family went through during those agonizing months in the NICU?  

Here he is today! He is 5! Praise the Lord:)  We don't get to visit very often because they don't live close, and it has been several years since I've seen him. He is one busy dude, and doing very well! Happy Birthday Peyton.  I know you are the biggest blessing imaginable to your mommy and daddy and family.

We are enjoying the 70 degree weather!

That boy LOVES the swings.

So does that one! My girl is getting so big.

I think we met a small milestone today.  All three kids rode bikes on the walking path....and I wasn't dragging a scooter behind me because they were too tired.

Garrett didn't seem as impressed, but he rode all over the park and wanted to go to bed at 6:45.  His phrase of the week..."I tired."  I feel ya little man.

Happy Valentine's Day

Well I'm a little late, but what else is new.  Hope your day was a lovely one.

Started the day off with pink pancakes...

Found the mix at walmart...just add water.

Ok my kid has never had coke for breakfast, so quit gasping. She asked for one because she sees me drink one every morning, and I said...why not? The pancakes are pink, filled with chocolate chips, and dipped in syrup, so really what is a little caffeine going to matter?

This wasn't on Valentine's, but I just love it.


This is the most random of posts. Today at gymnastics Allie flipped out on me.

Doing the happy dance

Here are some random dance videos that I've taken lately. Today we were HAPPY!  It felt like summer...relatively speaking. Allie even asked to get out the sprinkler.

On an adoption note, I checked today when our last update was sent.  It was January 18th....seems like much longer than that. We should be receiving an update any day, as we were told they should come about once a month.  It's just so surreal. We live in an electronic high tech world, so we are accustomed to instant information. Why do I have to wait a month to get another picture??? That is hard:)

I started reading this book on our trip. We have a book list that we are supposed to read before placement, so I thought I should get started.  Here's what I have learned so far....3 things....

1. I

2. am

3. clueless.

It has sparked much conversation between the hubs and me. I explained to him that I just didn't realize all the psychology that is involved.  On the one hand, our boy is in a "better" situation because he is being loved and cared for by a foster family rather than being in institutional care.  On the other hand, it is likely that he is becoming very attached to his foster family because it is all he has ever known. At best, he will be placed with us after he is a year old and possibly when he is closer to two years old.  Depending on a child's personality (anxious versus laid back), he/she can have a very hard time reattaching to his/her new family. Think about it, if a child is very attached to the person who is meeting his every need for the first year, then his security is destroyed by removing him from that situation and placing him in a TOTALLY new environment...new family, new home, new culture, new food, new smells...then as a coping mechanism, it is not abnormal for a child to take many many months to feel like it is "OK" to reattach to another family because he does not want to go through that trauma of separation again. After discussing this, the hubs ran across the blog of a family who has adopted from Korea three times and it was "eye opening" to see what may be coming.  Of course we knew this process would be filled with uncertainty, but we are now realizing also the perseverance, patience, and prayer it is going to require as he not only is engrained to our family, but as he attaches to us.  We can't make him do that, and it may not happen naturally due to the fact that he will already be a toddler.  

The mom from the blog that we read about who has been through this now 3 times posted some tips for toddler adoption.  You will get the drift after reading just these tips why I said this was eye opening.

Here are her tips:

Read "The Connected Child"

prepare your family and friends for a tough transition, for them to give the kid space and not compare this child's joining the family to the way other kids may have joined

travel to receive your child

sleep with the child for several months and remember to sleep when toddler sleeps

accept help

treat him as a young infant, carry him in a sling(I love my Hip Hammock), bottle feed(You hold the bottle), rock and sing to him

remember, he doesn't have a clue if you are to be trusted
he doesn't know what it is like to be in your family

discipline--stinks cause you aren't bringing home a sweet baby who sits in a bouncy seat.  You are bringing home a mobile and curious child who WILL touch everything unsafe to touch.  I felt like all we said was "no" those first few months.

Give yourself a break for losing your cool and being angry at times.
schedule?  what is that?

don't compare anything or any milestone that the newly adopted toddler is doing with a birth child--totally different ballgame

Punch anyone in the mouth if they are stupid enough to say "you are lucky, you didn't have to give birth to him,  you are still skinny"

Remember, PLAY and have fun.  Toddlers are adorable!!!!!

Here is a link to her blog if you want to read more.

http://psalm139verse14.blogspot.com/search/label/Adoption%20FAQs

More ski scrap..

We had a great time with Katie, Jason, Zman, and Pappy.  Everyone stayed well, and the kids played great! We really missed having Mando and Bunny and the whole crew there..but thankful that Hunter is healthy and home safe!  

Ski trip 2011

We are home!  There is no place like it!  I do love our yearly ski trip, but when we leave one kid behind, I am always ANXIOUS to get back home. That being said, the trip would have been very hard with our little man. He went back and fourth between the Lion's Den and Emmy's house....and we are VERY grateful for their lovin' on him this week. The little stinker managed to dislocate his elbow and catch the flu all in the same week, so trust me, they had their hands FULL.


We left a week ago Friday, and on that day our nephew Hunter Allen Bain was born!!!  He and Mando, big sis, and dad are all doing well. We were able to see them on our way back, and at one week old, Hunter was still VERY TINY!  Big sister, Abby was just a LITTLE proud:)  The girls were quite impressed with their new baby cousin.

I have 500 pictures from this trip, so I'm a bit overwhelmed. The biggest news of the week was the weather and Mary's first successful attendance to ski school.  It's late, and after scrapping a couple of pages....that will have to wait for another post.

..... to be continued.