I’ve decided to do some vlogs on adoption. I’m hoping to answer some common questions about adoption.
First up, a break-down of the international adoption process (from the unprofessional perspective of an adoptive parent).
Have questions that you want me to cover? Feel free to leave them in the comments, or shoot me an email.
Did you see my update on our Facebook page? If not, head over there to see it. You won’t want to miss this one. 🙂
My most memorable Valentine’s Day was 3 years ago. That day, I found myself in the very cold city of Moscow, where I met my youngest love.
I hardly even recognize that kid anymore. A shadow of who he really is. At one year old, smiles were hard to come by.
Quiet, observant, stoic. That’s how he seemed.
We didn’t see any bits of his personality until 3.5 months later, after our court trip, when we finally started to see his goofy and wild spirit come out.
Now, he’s the family wild spirit. He keeps everyone laughing.
A few mornings ago, he woke up sick. Normally, he wakes up smiling, chatty long before the rest of us are ready to hear a sound. On the dark, freezing winter mornings, I joke it’s the Russian in him, better adapted to the dark and the cold than the rest of us. But this morning, I turned the lights on, patted his back and then headed downstairs, knowing he’d get up when he was ready.
And when he did, he just cried and screamed. I picked him up and he started to calm down. A minute later, I tried to put him down again, so I could help Reed and Lena get ready, but the screaming started again quickly. All he wanted was to be held. So, held him I did. In the moments that are usually spent rushing around the house to get his siblings ready for school, we sat on the couch and he pressed his body into mine, positioning my arm around him like a seat belt. He relaxed and quieted.
Those moments of sitting on the couch, holding him, were sacred. I often wonder if I’m doing this parenting gig right. Maybe I’d be a better parent if I had more experience, if I was less busy, if I was just a more patient and gentle person, but you know what? In that moment, Gus would have settled for no one else. In that moment, I knew that I, with all of my flaws and imperfections, was enough for him. He felt loved and secure with me.
My heart keeps jumping to the host kids. The listings for many of the hosting groups are up, or will be soon. I read the little bits of their stories and I wish I could hug each one of them, tell them that someone cares. Parenting a teenager isn’t remotely the same as parenting a preschooler. But, when they’re sick or when they’re hurting, they still crave that love of a mom. They want someone to care and nurture them, too. Not the perfect family, but a flawed and imperfect family who loves them as they are. They all need someone to make them feel secure and cherished.
Maybe you’re that somebody?
Project 143 | New Horizons for Children | Children’s Cultural Connection | Frontier Horizon
I’ve had several people ask me– do you still have MudLOVE bracelets? Do you have a list of what’s available? Do you have any more shirts? So, introducing our Christmas Shop. All proceeds go directly to our hosting fees to bring Big L back, in fact, I’ll have you donate right to our Razoo account (although arrangements can be made for Paypal if needed). I have:
Here’s how this works:
Prices for all items are noted at the top of the list. Prices include shipping with the US for First Class Mail. I am happy to ship outside the US, so please email me with your address and I will get you a quote.
Tips about sizing: These are unisex sizes. The crewneck (not the vneck) are a little less “generous” than regular shirts, so you may want to size up if you are between sizes.
I have just a few prints left in stock from our spring sale. Blossom – 8×10, $12 shipped 
Morning Light 5×7, $8 shipped (3 available) 8×10, $12 shipped (2 available) 
Blood Moon – 8×12, $15 shipped (2 available) 
These notecards are blank inside. They’re perfect for nearly any kind of note that you need to send– thank you notes, thinking of you, etc. Most of these are sets of 5 different cards and the collage shows the 5 images included in the set. Colorful Set (2 available) 
April Set (5 available) 
Floral Set (4 available) 
Miscellaneous Set (4 available) 
All Seasons Set (4 available) 
Pink and Purple Set (2 available) 
Morning Light – all 5 the same (2 available) 
April Showers – all 5 the same (2 available) 
Best Buds – all 5 the same (1 available) 
Thanks for looking. 🙂
Getting the box of MudLOVE bracelets was a bit… overwhelming. But, I generally just like to tackle things right away, so I had the box open and bracelets dumped out pretty quickly, going through them to sort all of the pre-orders.
However, before shipping, I wanted Aaron to double check them for me and make sure that I hadn’t overlooked anything.
Reed and Lena were pretty fascinated with how the bracelets had overtaken our dining room table and it wasn’t long before they asked if they could help, too.
Reed was placed in charge of cutting bubble wrap into smaller pieces.
Lena was placed in charge of getting the labels from the printer and cutting them out.
Gus was given the very important job of not causing trouble. Which is easier said than done for him.
I also asked Reed and Lena to help me write little “thank yous” to pack with the bracelets. We started these a bit later in our packing, so I’m sorry if your package only has a note from me! The “tkank you” and their efforts to decorate each of them uniquely was just so cute.
I still do have lots and lots of MudLOVE bracelets, so let me know if you are interested! Tkank you note included.
a moose in moscow 