Small Update

Please don't forget to help pass the word about Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. The month is almost over but there is still many people to educate about CP. I've only had one person (Carla) help in my efforts to raise awareness! I know there are more people out there who would love to win a beautiful apron and help out the children still sitting on the China waiting child list or in our local foster homes find forever families!

Bebo went to the dentist yesterday and we thought for sure he would need some major dental work. To our amazement he does not. Seven years in an orphanage with a repaired cleft palate and his teeth are beautiful! He had severe plaque build up that made his teeth look like they had cavities. They were able to use a high powered "water pic" and take every last piece of plaque off his teeth! His brown and in some areas gray teeth are now white. Praise God, we are amazed! He did great but his gum line is very sore.

We received Bebos progress reports from Half the Sky Foundation. They are priceless! We received 14 new photos and brief little snippets about him. We are awaiting MORE in paper form. You see HTS change to a digital format a couple years ago so we will receive paper reports from his early years! I am forever grateful for the people who may have sponsored our little guy over the last 6 years! We are planning on waiting until all the files are together and making him two books, one he look at now and one for later.

I have something important I'll be talking about in the next couple of days. Hope you all are having a great week!

One Month!

Bebo has been a part of our family for one month! I can hardly believe how fast time has gone by now that he is with us. Life at home is going very well. He has adjusted great to his surroundings and his new family. I don't want to give the illusion that we do not have any problems because we do. It seems that when we correct a behavior Bebo automatically turns into himself. He stops making eye contact and just refuses to move. I'm not sure what he is thinking and to be honest it makes me a bit crazy. It's almost as if he is testing me. He does not do it as much with The Count but then again I am home with him most of the day. If anyone has any suggestions I am open to them.

Bebo is picking up sign language at lightening speed. He knows 3/4 of the alphabet and I've been working with him less than a week with it. I broke it down for him and it's almost too easy for him. He is practicing his hand writing, letter and color recognition. He does not like to sit down and do work but once he sits to do the work he is fine. He is so bored at home and ready to go to school. We go for his intake process next week so that should be exciting and scary all at once for him. I'm not sure where we go from there though.

Did I mention that he and Spitfire are connected at the hip? She just adores him. She helps him with whatever he needs and just looks out for him over all. Lia thinks nothing of him. Bebo loves to rub Twinks head or her cheek. It's very sweet to see him interact with her. He is definitely used to playing with younger children. Maybe I should say looking after them. If she cries he will pat her head or her arm. He loves babies!!! Anytime there is a baby around he needs to see that baby.

The above pictures were taken yesterday. Neither were very willing at first. I had to tell them that after we did pictures we could eat lunch! LOL Both were very happy to hurry and have their pictures taken. I also had to place some silly action figure on my head for them to even look in my direction. Oh what we won't do for a couple of pictures! ;) I have pictures starting from Lia looking at Evan like there was no way she was sitting next to him having her picture taken with him, to him smelling her hair and the two of them cracking up. Too sweet!

Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month

March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month. I am passionate about cerebral palsy and any kind of awareness I can bring to the disorder. I want to teach people that there are MANY levels of CP.

I'm asking that you please post the following You Tube video on your blog to help promote Cerebral Palsy. In doing so you will receive an entry into a drawing for a Scarlet Threads Apron of your choice! If you point them in the direction of my blog you will receive two entries! :) If you just let me know that I've educated you I'll give you an entry as well! :) I will draw the winner on March 31st and post who the lucky person is!

There are many children on the China Waiting Children Shared List with mild cerebral palsy. Many just need a loving home with a family to meet their full potential. Our daughter has mild cp and she has blessed the pants right off us! If you have any questions please feel free to ask and I'll try to answer to the best of my ability.

Resources for Cerebral Palsy
Reaching for the Stars
UCP- United Cerebral Palsy
CHASA - Children's Hemiplegia and Stroke Association
Adopting Children with Cerebral Palsy Yahoo Group

Awe Struck!

If you have not seen this video please take the time to view it. I believe most who follow my blog will have the same reaction I did when I saw it today. :)

Confirmed

It was confirmed today that our silly guy has severe/profound sensorineural hearing loss in both ears. This is not a surprise to us and we are actually very relieved. We know now that without a shadow of a doubt that he will be accepted to our State School for the Deaf! :) He had to have an 80dB hearing loss in at least one ear and he exceeded that. He will not dorm at the school but will be transported by our local school district everyday. We are only 20 minutes from the school which makes things very convenient.

For seven year he has had NO language other than gestures. He will finally have a language to learn and will understand! He is ready and willing to learn. We will learn right along side him but something tells me he is going to fly past us in no time.

Thank you Lord for our sweet, sweet son!

Mama

The look on her face says it all. 

We had just arrived home after 17 days in China adopting our new son and a new brother for the children. We had made amazing arrangements for our children that we were leaving at home. An amazing friend offered to stay in our home with her children (whom she home schools) and ours so there would be as little change for Twink as possible. All the children could go to school and Twink could still have the stability and comfort of our home. We talked to the children via Skype while in China and Twink would come over a few times but she was usually her busy self.

When we arrived at the airport Twink had just awoken for her nap. This is NEVER a good thing especially if it is not a long enough one. She needs to wake up gradually and on her own terms. Needless to say she was none to pleased to see us. She literally screamed if I got close to her. She only wanted Michele (my friend). Known this is how she is when she wakes up I thought I'd give her a few minutes and all would be good. Boy was I ever wrong.

When I heard the words Mama come out of her mouth I was excited for a split second. I say a split second because they were not directed towards me, they were directed towards Michele. It was an awkward moment. Michele was trying to calm Twink and explain to me that she had just started calling her that in the last couple of days. She had been calling her Wawha up until two days before we came home. 

Our luggage did not arrive so we had to wait around for what seemed like forever. Anytime I would try to get close to Twink she would become upset and I would receive some serious glares. I even tried to bribe her with a lolly pop. It became evident our luggage was going to be delivered to our house so The Count took Twink from Michele. Then it happened. She started to scream.....for.....Michele Mama! 

It....was....awful!

I was having flashbacks of China all over again. Was she? Just what was she thinking? I was literally left standing there looking on with friends and family as The Count walked away with our baby girl screaming for another woman she was calling (thought?) Mama. Did I mention she VERY seldom called me Mama? I could go through the long list of emotions I was feeling at that moment but I really just longed to hold her. I wanted her to want ME!

It will be a VERY long time before we leave her again. Never in a million years did we expect her to react the way she did. If I had known she would reacted like she had, I would have stayed home.

Think about this for a second. Any of us adoptive parents go to China for about two weeks. We hope and pray that our new child starts to form a bond to us by the end of our two weeks, right? We are replacing some important people that stood in their lives for either a short period of their lives or for a very long period of their lives. While Evan was bonding with us in China, Twink was bonding with Michele back in our home where she felt safe.

I do not know if it goes back to her time in China. I can only guess. I can only guess that she thought we were not coming back. I'm sure there are people out there that will think I'm over analyzing. I've seen her reaction to her adoption video and she remembers something!

It took the entire weekend to regain Twinks full trust again that we were not leaving her. She tried to push our buttons, refused to eat, and started calling EVERYONE Mama! All is well now and she is calling everyone by name and I am now officially Mama! :D

I will never forget that I am replaceable!