Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Busy Busy Times!!
We have been so super busy since school has started and it seems I have neglected our blog more than usual. It seems we hardly have time to keep up with activites and our house let alone try and show off our beautiful little girl!!! She is doing great!! Preschool is awesome and she loves every minute. Her teacher is great and Addy really loves the other kids. She is learning the dance moves to songs, understanding about staying in line and raising her hand for snack. She loves to hang out with her big sis now, they will sit and play barbies forever!! I love watching them play together. We recently got a new puppy, our Westie of almost 13 years died and we could not imagine our lives without a Westie dog in it. Our new little puppy is Milton and Addy loves to carry him around and push him in her grocery cart, Im not sure how he feels about that but he does run from her when he sees her coming!!!lol We are preparing for our Buddy Walk, since it is DOWN SYNDROME AWARENESS MONTH!! We are super excited. This will be our first walk, we are trying to get the word out and hoping anyone and everyone in the area will sign up to walk with us or atleast go online at firstgiving/addynorman.com and help us raise money online and find out more info!! Just a quick update I know, will post more after Halloween!! 
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
PrEscHooL TiMe
Addy has started preschool!!!!
She is too cute walking into her big sisters school everyday going to her class with her little Strawberry Shortcake backpack!!
All the kids have really taken to her. Especially a little boy that has Ds. He is soo stinkin cute. He pulls her chair out for her and they hold hands!!!
The teachers said she is doing perfect,as long as she keeps her shoes on!lol
School time is off to a busy start. With three children now, it seems like my evenings fly by and feels like nothing was accomplished! Trying to keep up with all the school activites and clubs, then we lead a small group at our church on Wed. nights, and trying to run a business..... I think its safe to say Im exhausted.
Addy has had several play dates recently. With my best friend Karrie and Addy's new little bff Tori!! Also my sister and my dad and step mom have taken her out on little adventures, and she is winning them over for sure!!!
She continues to make advances with her sign language and each day Im amazed at just how smart this little girl is and how far she has come. We recieved a gift from the "grandma" that visited Addy in the orphanage awhile back. There were clothes, picture frames and cards for Addy. It was soo sweet. It has taken me awhile, but Im now sending her some recent pictures of Addy and all that she has been doing over the summer. They are very sweet photos and I hope that she enjoys them and it warms her heart to know how much progress she has made and how much she has changed for the better. God is soo good!!!! Everytime I look at Addy and see her play with her brother and sister, see her eat healthy balanced meals,see her witness to other people the love that she has, and feel His presence more and more in our lives..my heart just melts and I literally stop and thank Him! The one who raised the money for this adoption, the one who delievered us to Ukraine and back safely and the one who has given us this precious life. I feel so unworthy of her in our lives. I wish everyone could experience what we have this last year and see the impact Addy has had on our family. I feel like she is such an amazing gift to us and Joe and I have even spoke about saving another life....we have peeked at the waiting children list, and Im praying...asking....seeking.. for an answer. our sermon series at church is "Go For It"! How appropriate...Joe just sat next to me and smiled.....
Just a few new treats that Addy has given us... she loves to blow on things that are hot and sign hot!!hot!!, when she is unhappy she points her finger at you and growls!, she has to be without shoes, constantly!, She loves snuggling with her big sissys stuffed cat at night, she says dada now, clear as day, my new name is babu, not sure about that, she tries to sing "Baby" with the Justin Beiber song, she is in love with chocolate milk, has a love/hate relationship with the dogs on our house, likes to walk around our house and hold the cat by its neck, sticks out her tongue and shakes her head at you, and likes to eat lots and lots of dog bones!!!
Now on to the pictures
She is too cute walking into her big sisters school everyday going to her class with her little Strawberry Shortcake backpack!!
All the kids have really taken to her. Especially a little boy that has Ds. He is soo stinkin cute. He pulls her chair out for her and they hold hands!!!
The teachers said she is doing perfect,as long as she keeps her shoes on!lol
School time is off to a busy start. With three children now, it seems like my evenings fly by and feels like nothing was accomplished! Trying to keep up with all the school activites and clubs, then we lead a small group at our church on Wed. nights, and trying to run a business..... I think its safe to say Im exhausted.
Addy has had several play dates recently. With my best friend Karrie and Addy's new little bff Tori!! Also my sister and my dad and step mom have taken her out on little adventures, and she is winning them over for sure!!!
She continues to make advances with her sign language and each day Im amazed at just how smart this little girl is and how far she has come. We recieved a gift from the "grandma" that visited Addy in the orphanage awhile back. There were clothes, picture frames and cards for Addy. It was soo sweet. It has taken me awhile, but Im now sending her some recent pictures of Addy and all that she has been doing over the summer. They are very sweet photos and I hope that she enjoys them and it warms her heart to know how much progress she has made and how much she has changed for the better. God is soo good!!!! Everytime I look at Addy and see her play with her brother and sister, see her eat healthy balanced meals,see her witness to other people the love that she has, and feel His presence more and more in our lives..my heart just melts and I literally stop and thank Him! The one who raised the money for this adoption, the one who delievered us to Ukraine and back safely and the one who has given us this precious life. I feel so unworthy of her in our lives. I wish everyone could experience what we have this last year and see the impact Addy has had on our family. I feel like she is such an amazing gift to us and Joe and I have even spoke about saving another life....we have peeked at the waiting children list, and Im praying...asking....seeking.. for an answer. our sermon series at church is "Go For It"! How appropriate...Joe just sat next to me and smiled.....
Just a few new treats that Addy has given us... she loves to blow on things that are hot and sign hot!!hot!!, when she is unhappy she points her finger at you and growls!, she has to be without shoes, constantly!, She loves snuggling with her big sissys stuffed cat at night, she says dada now, clear as day, my new name is babu, not sure about that, she tries to sing "Baby" with the Justin Beiber song, she is in love with chocolate milk, has a love/hate relationship with the dogs on our house, likes to walk around our house and hold the cat by its neck, sticks out her tongue and shakes her head at you, and likes to eat lots and lots of dog bones!!!
Now on to the pictures
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
3 Months And Doing Great!!!
Addy is doing great!! Actually she is doing better than great, she is the absolute most precious child I have ever laid eyes on. Everyday I am completely surprised by her knowledge, her abilities and her strength. I love watching her grow and learn, especially when she is learning about how to be apart of a family that will fight for her everyday of her life!
Yesterday we took a break and met her daddy for lunch. Ofcourse, she looked at him through the window of our car and started sreaming. Then, as soon as we got out she started saying "Da,Da,Da"!! Joe immediatly broke down, he is such a softy! haha
We had her evaluation for preschool this week and it went really well. She was able to point to alot of pictures correctly. Her comprehension is far beyond what we thought it would be at this point. We go for her case conference next week and then she will be ready for am preschool. Im soo excited for her. We were able to visit her class and she loved playing with the kids. And to top it off, there were two other children with Down Syndrome in the preschool! She really enjoys playing now and she is creative thats for sure! I caught her in her room trying her best to actually sit on a barbie chair!!!
Noah and Gracie are both in school and loving it!! Noah really is enjoying 6th grade and Gracie says she loves her new teacher!! So things are going really well.
Now for the pictures!!!!
Yesterday we took a break and met her daddy for lunch. Ofcourse, she looked at him through the window of our car and started sreaming. Then, as soon as we got out she started saying "Da,Da,Da"!! Joe immediatly broke down, he is such a softy! haha
We had her evaluation for preschool this week and it went really well. She was able to point to alot of pictures correctly. Her comprehension is far beyond what we thought it would be at this point. We go for her case conference next week and then she will be ready for am preschool. Im soo excited for her. We were able to visit her class and she loved playing with the kids. And to top it off, there were two other children with Down Syndrome in the preschool! She really enjoys playing now and she is creative thats for sure! I caught her in her room trying her best to actually sit on a barbie chair!!!
Noah and Gracie are both in school and loving it!! Noah really is enjoying 6th grade and Gracie says she loves her new teacher!! So things are going really well.
Now for the pictures!!!!
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Too Much Fun!!
We are having soo much fun this summer it is hard to put it into words. All three kids are doing great and everyone has had an awesome summer. My best friend, Karrie, and I took her two girls and mine to Pennslyvania this past week. We went to Sesame Place Park, which I highly recommend, Hershey Park, Crayola Factory and to New Jersey to the beach. We had an absolute blast. The girls were excellent, especially in the long car ride and the activities we did with the girls were soo much fun. Pictures will come soon!! Addy continues to fit right into our lives. She still does not talk, which is ok, we are learning more signs to teach her and she is picking up new ones everyday. She is now addicted to Gracie, they are best friends, and never leave each others side. It is too cute to watch them giggle for hours and play together..Very bittersweet. We are working on body parts right now and she is doing well. We also took a trip to the dentist, she has no cavities and teeth are pretty healthy..he did say to watch her gums and she could have some adult teeth missing, but no worries now. We also are doing Speech Therapy starting next week, so excited to see her progress with her signing and speech. She has gained a total of 4 pounds and has grown almost two inches and has went from a shoe size of 5.5 to a 7. I guess a little nutrition goes along way. When she first came home she slept almost 13 hours at night and took a 3 hour, if not more, nap during the day. Now she sleeps around 10-11 hours at night and if she does take a nap, it is only 1-2 hours. The malnutrition and anemia really took its toll on her, but now that she is much healthier, THANK YOU JESUS!!, she is really doing great. To look at her now and see the changes and the love that pours out of her is such a blessing. Now for the good stuff!!!! 
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Birthday Fun
Addy's birthday was 7-7, but we did the majority of the celebration this weekend.
She absolutely loved her birthday. She did such a good job opening gifts and loved to have us sing to her. She even blew out her candles, with some help :)
Her personality is definitely emerging. She can get quite upset when other kids invade her space and she has no problem pointing her finger at them and telling them "Niet"!! (no in Ukrainian).
She continues to enjoy the pool more and more and even with strict sunscreen she has herself a little bikini tan, which is too cute!!
We visited the aquarium on her actual birthday with my best friend Karrie and her girls. The kids all had a blast. I think Addy liked the glass floor the best, she could see all the fish and sharks underneath her. I think at one point she layed down on the glass and held up the line as everyone laughed. She also got to enjoy some ColdStone ice cream, which she enjoyed immensely.
Her birthday celebration was a blast. We had a cookout with family and friends and she had a really good turnout. Lots of food, presents and swimming. She got alot of nice toys and is having so much fun playing with them!
Since early last week she has developed the "I love my mommy and will scream if she leaves my sight" idea. We went shopping and out to dinner Friday night as a family and when I went to the restroom at the restaurant I could hear her screaming all the way there. When I got back she just looked at me like...Im good now, thanks! It is soo nice to see that she knows I love her and she does have a mommy now that will care for her and comfort her. It can also be a little stressful, but in a good way.
Karrie wanted me to post the TOP TEN THINGS I LOVE ABOUT ADDY, so here goes......
I love that she is specific about where her drink and food goes on the table when she eats. I love when she crawls into bed and reaches up for a kiss. I love how she rubs my chest and face when we cuddl. I love that she uses the sign for cookie when she wants a drink. I love how she says "poo" when she goes #2 and waves her hand bc it stinkies. I love when she screams at the top of her lungs in excitement in restaurants when they deliver our food. I love to watch the attachment her and Noah have for one another. I love how she plays with our puppy and belly laughs. I love how she runs with such determination. And finally I love how she looks in her daddy's arms.
Today at church I thought alot about her birth parents. I wonder if they are thinking about her as she turns three. I know her birth mom is aware that she was adopted. I just hope she feels it in her heart that she is loved for and cared for and is part of a family that would do anything for her. My heart breaks for them. I could not imagine giving up a child that I held so close to my heart for 9 months. I do not know the specifics, but i do know mothers are encouraged to give special needs children up because of the future that they would endure in such a country. It is soo sad to think that the opportunities that we have here are soo far from the things that other countries have. Traveling there and seeing the day to day activity restrictions that these people would be faced with is enough to scare anyone. Especially a new mom. I pray that more and more people see these issues and things change so that these kids have a fighting chance there. I also pray that Addy's birth mom feels a peace about her and her life now and knows that we love her as if she came into our lives 3 years ago.
New pics of her past couple weeks and her awesome birthday fun!!!
She absolutely loved her birthday. She did such a good job opening gifts and loved to have us sing to her. She even blew out her candles, with some help :)
Her personality is definitely emerging. She can get quite upset when other kids invade her space and she has no problem pointing her finger at them and telling them "Niet"!! (no in Ukrainian).
She continues to enjoy the pool more and more and even with strict sunscreen she has herself a little bikini tan, which is too cute!!
We visited the aquarium on her actual birthday with my best friend Karrie and her girls. The kids all had a blast. I think Addy liked the glass floor the best, she could see all the fish and sharks underneath her. I think at one point she layed down on the glass and held up the line as everyone laughed. She also got to enjoy some ColdStone ice cream, which she enjoyed immensely.
Her birthday celebration was a blast. We had a cookout with family and friends and she had a really good turnout. Lots of food, presents and swimming. She got alot of nice toys and is having so much fun playing with them!
Since early last week she has developed the "I love my mommy and will scream if she leaves my sight" idea. We went shopping and out to dinner Friday night as a family and when I went to the restroom at the restaurant I could hear her screaming all the way there. When I got back she just looked at me like...Im good now, thanks! It is soo nice to see that she knows I love her and she does have a mommy now that will care for her and comfort her. It can also be a little stressful, but in a good way.
Karrie wanted me to post the TOP TEN THINGS I LOVE ABOUT ADDY, so here goes......
I love that she is specific about where her drink and food goes on the table when she eats. I love when she crawls into bed and reaches up for a kiss. I love how she rubs my chest and face when we cuddl. I love that she uses the sign for cookie when she wants a drink. I love how she says "poo" when she goes #2 and waves her hand bc it stinkies. I love when she screams at the top of her lungs in excitement in restaurants when they deliver our food. I love to watch the attachment her and Noah have for one another. I love how she plays with our puppy and belly laughs. I love how she runs with such determination. And finally I love how she looks in her daddy's arms.
Today at church I thought alot about her birth parents. I wonder if they are thinking about her as she turns three. I know her birth mom is aware that she was adopted. I just hope she feels it in her heart that she is loved for and cared for and is part of a family that would do anything for her. My heart breaks for them. I could not imagine giving up a child that I held so close to my heart for 9 months. I do not know the specifics, but i do know mothers are encouraged to give special needs children up because of the future that they would endure in such a country. It is soo sad to think that the opportunities that we have here are soo far from the things that other countries have. Traveling there and seeing the day to day activity restrictions that these people would be faced with is enough to scare anyone. Especially a new mom. I pray that more and more people see these issues and things change so that these kids have a fighting chance there. I also pray that Addy's birth mom feels a peace about her and her life now and knows that we love her as if she came into our lives 3 years ago.
New pics of her past couple weeks and her awesome birthday fun!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)