Our Fundraiser

While we were in Ukraine my mom began making a quilt for us to raffle in an effort to help raise money to bring Dasha home. I have posted larger pictures at the bottom of this post. Please read the post in its entirety as it explains the sentimental value behind this quilt. It's really more than just a quilt. At least to us and the people that know about the quilt collection and that knew and still love Chloe. If you are really in a hurry or share my dislike of reading, then I have put the meaning of the quilts in bold print so you can skip through. I know how it is to be busy!

Below is what I wrote in Ukraine about the quilt and our fund raiser. I copied and pasted it from my Word document so it is still in past tense, but the meaning is the same.

In an effort to raise money to bring Dasha home my sweet mother has offered to make a baby quilt for us to raffle off. I am so touched that she has volunteered to use the talents that God has given her to help us raise money for our little angel that we have to leave behind. For those of you that may not have been following along the entire time, Dasha has not waited out the entire length of the waiting period in order to be adopted internationally. She will not be available until some time in October. John Paul is already four years old and was already scheduled for transfer to the institution. Our facilitator, Yulia, made contact with the orphanage director and had him to hold John Paul for a little over two weeks in order to give us time to get to him before he was transferred. We were uncertain if we would be able to adopt John Paul from the institution as no one had ever adopted from there before. And as it was put to me the conditions of the institution that he was going to be transferred to were questionable. It is a miracle that God worked out the timing for our travel and kept John Paul safe until we could get to him. It was simply not an option to leave him there until October when Dasha became available. God said, “Go”. So we went. And I praise God for blessing us with this sweet little boy! As of Saturday he has waited out the ten day waiting period and no one came forward to contest our adoption of him. Tomorrow we will pick up the court decree and he is officially our son. God has really worked strongly through this entire process, even giving us our court date to adopt John Paul on July 8th, which would have been Chloe’s 3rd birthday. While she is in a place that is like a birthday everyday, God gave us a special birthday gift in our new son. I can’t begin to describe what a blessing that was and what a miracle John Paul is to us.

While we are experiencing great happiness with the adoption of John Paul, we are also very sad to leave Dasha behind. It is also posing further financial obligations on our behalf than we had planned. We were not planning on paying for two separate adoptions in a year. But we can’t leave her here and I believe in my heart that she is meant to be ours and we know that God will provide. We are getting close to meeting the amount that it will take, but we are also fundraising in an effort to gain the entire amount as we will not be taking out any further adoption loans.

We are going to be trying to raise money in various ways. The first way is through the raffle of the quilt that I mentioned earlier. This quilt was hand made by my mother and it is adorable. But you can see for yourself below in the pictures. The quilt will also accompany a card that explains the collection of quilts and their sentimental value. To me these quilts are just one more blessing that came from Chloe. Each print is a happy print that reminds my mom and I of her sweet spirit. The first “happy quilt” was made for Chloe while I was still pregnant. My mom said that every time she thought of her she felt so much happiness. Little did we know what a bundle of sunshine she would actually end up being. After Chloe went to Heaven my mom was unsure if she would ever make another one of the “happy quilts“, but I encouraged her to keep making them. So in Chloe’s memory my mom changed the name from “Happy Quilts” to the Chloe Bean Collection. Bean was Chloe’s nickname and just the sound of Chloe Bean makes us smile. This quilt is number four of the “Chloe Bean Collection” of quilts. The quilt comes with a matching pillow and will be accompanied with a beautiful handmade card explaining the Chloe Bean Collection and the quilt that you have received. It also comes from a clean smoke free home and will arrive packed in a plastic carrying case.

The price for each raffle ticket is $5.00. I will let the raffle run for one month and then will declare the winner at that time. Even if you do not have or are not expecting a baby, it would make a great gift! If it is given as a gift to someone else, the card will also raise awareness for Down Syndrome. You can’t lose with this! You will get a precious handmade quilt that has been made with much love and prayers for the baby that will receive it, you will be helping to bring Dasha home to her parents and big brother that love her, and you will be keeping the legacy of our first little angel alive. How much love could be in one quilt?

We've been really busy since we have been home! Last week I spent trying to get settled back in and my mom came for a visit to meet John Paul. It was so great to see her! John Paul really liked his grammy! He got his first toy truck from his grammy. I told him that I bet his grammy would bring him something because that's what grammys do. :) We took a trip to the toy train museum in Harper's Ferry on Sunday. We all had a good time. John Paul enjoyed riding the train. I'll post pictures below from the museum and from my mom's visit. And I gave him his first hair cut. Well, first hair cut with us. He did so good through it. He was very patient.

He's still doing really well. I know he is gaining weight and he is looking so much healthier! He's been eating great! He eats everything that we eat. I just throw it in the minichopper and he eats it. I made lasagna a few days ago and he loved that! He gets happy when he hears the minichopper running. We're going to have to work away from the minichopper eventually, but right now he is eating so well! And he needs to gain weight so I'm not going to aggravate that just yet! He's made a lot of progress already anyway. He can hold and drink from his own cup now. He leaks some, but still doing a terrific job! He's really blossoming.

And he is so smart! When my mom was going outside to pack her things in her car before she left, he thought it was an opportunity to go outside. He walked about 20 steps to the door to go outside. The walking was AMAZING!!! That is the longest distance he has walked unassisted! Outside is motivating for him! The problem was that we were both still in our pajamas. We had just eaten our breakfast. So he didn't get to go out. He started crying. I sat him on the couch with me and told him that we'd go out later and that we weren't dressed to go outside. I told him that he didn't even have his shoes on. He hopped down and got his shoes and handed them to me. I couldn't help but laugh! It was so cute! I had no idea that he was starting to understand us! I was so proud! And yes he did get to go outside a little later.

We are still working on our dossier for Dasha. I hope to have it completed and sent to Yulia this month. Right now I am waiting on our social worker to get back with me to let me know if she still has an extra copy of my criminal record check. And also for her to send us another notarized copy of our home study and social worker's license.

Updates From Home!

We arrived at the airport Tuesday night a little after 10 p.m. Then we waited for an hour for my bag before we found out that it was left behind in MN. So by the time we got home it was after midnight.

John Paul was so excited when he saw Rick at the airport. He recognized him right away and was so happy to see him! He is attaching so well to both of us. It's so nice!

When we first brought JP in the house he stood there and looked around at everything and then he looked at us and smiled real big. He tried to get up on the couch, but it's higher than the one at the orphanage, and he looked at me like he was confused. I sat him up there and he was happy! Then he saw the cats and his little face lit up! He started babbling at them. He really likes the cats!

After that we took him upstairs to see his bedroom. He walked in and just smiled so big! I haven't seen him this happy the entire time that I have been with him. Then he walked over to his little toddler bed and touched it and smiled real big. It was obvious by how happy he was that he understood that this was his room! So I got him ready for bed and tucked him in and he went to sleep. He slept good and through the night. I was surprised because of the time difference, but he did great!

When he got up I made him some cinnamon and spice oatmeal and also served him some apple sauce. Which he gobbled up with no problems! He seemed to really like it. Then he also drank half of a Pediasure bottle. He really likes Pediasure! I'm so glad that he does! His little belly is starting to get bigger already. I'll be glad when he gains enough weight that his ribs don't show. If he keeps eating like he has been that shouldn't be long! For lunch he ate cream styled corn and I added Tuna to it. I ran it through the blender to knock the big chunks out. He liked it and ate it. I know Tuna and corn sounds weird, but in Ukraine they had seafood salads that had crab and corn in them. While he has never tasted any of that, it gave me an idea. And I figured that the Tuna would be a good source of protein for him.
I wasn't sure if he would eat it or not because he wouldn't eat Tuna baby food in Ukraine. Maybe it was the sweetness of the corn that he liked. And he drank the other half of the Pediasure. Later he had a little snack of Yo Baby yogurt. That was a hit! And for supper he ate spaghetti and meatballs that I ran through the blender just to blend the meatballs down to a texture that he could swallow. He liked the spaghetti! I'll start working another snack in later. He just ate so much for breakfast that he was too full for a midmorning snack. I didn't want him to get sick. His little tummy was so big! He ate less at lunch and supper. He still ate great! He ate what a 4 year old his size should eat. I think he is finally understanding that he doesn't have to go hungry. I will feed him again and he can eat until he is full! He doesn't fuss and cry now after he eats. He'll hold his hand up to let me know he is done. Which is a big improvement from the bowl pushing and cup slapping that was going on. I think he is really beginning to trust us now!

When I first showed him his playroom his eyes got real big! Then he just sat down and looked at everything. He looked like he was scared to go any further into the room. Then he grabbed a stuffed lamb off of the little rocking chair and looked at it. He started standing it up on it's legs. I gave him a few minutes to take everything in and get used to it. Then I started showing him other toys. Right now his favorites are the Little People school bus and the Little People, a Baby Einstein book that plays music, and a ring stacker. He had no problems taking the rings off, but he didn't really want to put them back on. I showed him and he tried, but he kept going beyond it. It made me wonder how his vision is. Or maybe we just need to work more on hand/eye coordination. He'll get it! I put him on a riding toy, but he didn't like it. He started crying and wanted me to hold him.

At nap time we went into his room and he went straight to his bed, climbed up in it, and laid down. What an angel! He went right to sleep last night and slept through the night again! He's doing so good!

Today we are going to Staples to fax the paperwork to get him added to our insurance. And then I am going to get him an appointment scheduled with the pediatrician to get him checked over and referrals to the cardiologist and ENT. I'll start there. The dentist will be in the VERY near future as well. His little gums are red and swollen. They look painful. He's got to get to the dentist ASAP! He grinds his teeth really bad! And his back teeth look almost flat. I can't figure out if it is from the grinding or if it is from his gums being swollen up so high around them. Probably a little bit of both. You know it makes me glad to an extent that Dasha only has two and a half teeth. But I hope that she gets the rest later! I feel so sorry for him because I know his mouth has to hurt.

That's about it. I'll take some new pictures later and post them. Today will be a busy day because I have a lot of errands. John Paul will have his first trip to Wal-Mart today to get groceries! He wouldn't really be American if he didn't make a trip to Wal-Mart. :)

Oh, I forgot to say that last night when Rick came home we met him in the stairway. We were coming down while Rick was walking up. JP didn't realize that he was home and Rick caught him by surprise and startled him a little. JP jumped a little bit and giggled and smiled so big. Then he wanted Rick to take him. It was so awesome! He LOVES his daddy! I know he loves me too, but it is so nice to see the father and son bond that they are beginning to share. Rick is the one he goes to for fun and being bounced and tossed! I'm the comfort lady. :) And it is so nice!

We went to the embassy first thing this morning to get the visa process started. Then we (me and Yulia)took John Paul to get his medical exam completed. He did great with the doctor! I was surprised at how well he did for the simple fact that he has had so many new things happen in the last several weeks, especially the last few days. I thought he might get scared with the exam. He didn't though. He even giggled when the doctor touched his back with the stethoscope. It was so cute! The doctor was great with him though! The doctor said that he could not hear his heart murmur. I am really hoping that it has corrected itself like Chloe's did. But if not, I am thinking since he couldn't hear the murmur that maybe it's nothing major. I don't think it is anyway because he looks really good and healthy for the most part. He is underweight, but if he keeps eating like he has been that won't be an issue for too much longer! And I was afraid that he wouldn't eat! I'm ready to get an echocardiogram done so I will know exactly what's going on for sure with his heart.

He has been eating and drinking so well! They told us at the orphanage that John Paul does not like to drink much liquid so they put the liquid in his food. So basically he has been eating food that is watery like soup. That's why he only knows how to suck from a spoon. I have been thickening up his food a little each day. He's no longer able to suck the food off of the spoon. We are still working on getting him to close his mouth to take the food off of the spoon, but he is doing great with eating a thicker texture! A little at a time, but he'll get there. We'll find him a good O.T. once we get home and settled. And ever since I have started thickening his food up he has started drinking more. He likes juice and milk, but he seems to prefer the juice. I have him drinking from a cup. One day when we were visiting Dasha one of the caretakers gave him something to drink from a regular glass cup. It got all over him and soaked the towel, but he didn't protest it either! So I have been working with him with an open cup. We are using one of the disposable sippy cups without the lid. So basically it's a little plastic cup. He is doing so great drinking from it. He was saturating cloth towels/diapers and now he is just soaking through a few napkins. He drank an entire juice box this afternoon. That is the most I have ever seen him drink at once. I showed him how to hold a glass cup yesterday while he was drinking. It was really heavy though. So today when he was drinking from the plastic cup he put his hands on it to hold it himself. But when I took my hands away he tilted it back too far and juice ran out of the sides of the cup. I think he thought it was going to be heavy after holding the heavy glass yesterday. I'm just so impressed and ecstatic that he wants to hold the cup himself and that he is drinking from it! It looks like we'll be skipping the sippy cup phase all together. But I do want him to learn to drink from a straw at some point. He's not very interested in holding the spoon himself though. That makes him mad. I'll have to get the fun spoons out when I get home and see what he thinks about those. The look like dinosaurs. Chloe liked them and they are easy for little hands to hold.

I crumbled up some soft cookies last night and poured a little milk over them to make them soggy and easier for him to eat. He just watched me and looked very interested in what I was doing. When he took the first bite his eyes got real big. Then after he gobbled it up he wanted in my lap and then he cuddled up with me. I think the cookies and milk were a hit! :) He has turned into quite the little cuddler and it is doing my heart so much good. I love it! He's mostly cuddly in the evening. During the day he is pretty busy.

Oh, I forgot to say that we went back to the embassy after the medical exam and got his visa. So we will be leaving for sure tomorrow at 11:45 a.m. I won't be at Washington Dulles until around 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday. So that will put us home around 11:30 p.m. It's going to be a really long day! Please pray for us! Thanks!

We're in Kiev

I got John Paul's passport back on Friday and we left yesterday for Kiev. Tomorrow we will go to the embassy to get his visa. We are scheduled to leave to come back home on Tuesday!!

Pictures!

Today was a good day! We took the bus to see Dasha. We went twice today since we didn't have time to go yestderday. It was so hot! It has been really hot the last few days. John Paul did great on the bus in spite of the heat and the unfamiliarity of it all! He's a real trooper! He just sat in my lap and looked around. He seemed to really enjoy his stroller ride as well! He wouldn't take a nap this afternoon so I was waiting for him to get grumpy later in the day. But he didn't. He ate his supper and then I gave him a bath and brushed his teeth. He cried through the bath and the teeth brushing was a real struggle! So by the time I got his diaper and pajamas on him he was ready for bed! He was asleep in less than two minutes.

Dasha was sweet as usual! We spent time with her and they even let us take her outside this morning and this afternoon! She was so happy this afternoon. I carried her around while I was giving toys to the children in their cribs that are in her room. We bought some crib toys for them from donations that were given to Chloe's Miracle Foundation. The children looked really happy to get them. Dasha was so cute when I was giving the toys to them. I was holding her and she was propped on my hip. She just sat there and smiled and giggled while I handed the toys out. It was so sweet. She looked so happy to see the other babies get toys. I couldn't believe how happy it made her! She's a little angel! John Paul was running around with one of the care takers at the time. He hung out with them until it was time for us to leave and then he quickly came to us to get out of there. It was cute! He looked like, "It was nice seeing you again, but now it's my time to leave."

We are so blessed to have these children! They are both so precious! I can't wait to get them both home for good!

Ok, as promised I have pictures listed below...

Little Did He Know This Would Be His Last Day of Living as an Orphan




All Dressed and Ready to Leave...


WOW! I Have Legs Under All of Those Clothes!




After My First Real Bath




Fast Asleep

Visiting My Soon to be Little Sister at the Orphanage

This afternoon we picked John Paul up from the orphanage! He is offically ours and in my custody! I'm so happy to have him out of there!

We left the orphanage and took a taxi to get his passport picture made and his passport application submitted. He did really good in the car and held my hands the entire way there. I took one hand from him to move my hair out of my eyes and he grabbed my hand and pulled it back into his lap. His little eyes were darting all over the place and he was really taking in everything that he saw.

Then once we got back to the aprartment we played for a little while and then fed him some porridge. He ate the entire bowl and then wanted more! So I fed him all that was made. He cried a little bit, but then settled down and played some more. I didn't see how he could still be hungry and I didn't want to make him sick. Then I gave him a bath. Which he did not like! Well, he was okay until I washed his hair and then he started crying. It was so pitiful! I haven't heard him cry like that before. He sounded a lot younger than he is. Really it sounded like a baby cry. Poor little guy. But once I got his diaper on him he cheered up. And he seemed to really like it when I put lotion on him.

After that he played with his toys and Yulia and I sat down to eat our supper. He started crying again and came over to the table. I mashed up some potatoes and tried to feed him those, but he was not having it! He started crying these big croccodile tears so I grabbed some yogurt out of the refrigerator. That he liked! He at the entire thing! He did slow down toward the end so I knew he was full for sure. I am just so relieved and happy that he is eating!!! He even drank some juice from a bottle for me! I didn't cut the huge hole in it because I wanted to see if he would drink from a regular bottle. That and I want to be able to give him drink on the way home without being drenched in liquid on the plane. He did just fine without the big hole. I think that is more for convenience for the care takers. I'm sure it makes the feeding go faster.

I put him down to go to sleep around 8:00. He just layed there and looked around, but he seemed tired. He only got half of his nap today because we had to take him out to get the passport. He fussed just a little. Just a few whimpers and a kick or two to the covers. I think he was more fussing to get comfortable. Then he went to sleep. He did great all day today!!

I am so glad to have him with me. He smells so good now! :) Tomorrow we are going to go see Dasha. We didn't have time to see her today. I wonder what John Paul is going to think about the bus.

I'll update more tomorrow with pictures. It has been a busy day and I haven't had time to post download my pictures yet.