I FINALLY was able to put the finishing touches on our adoption video. And it feels so good to have it done. :) I have to admit that since its been done, I've watched it a bzillion times and I STILL tear up when I watch it. I guess I always will. This is the *re*birth story of my baby. My boy. Its forever engraved in my mind and my heart. This video is just a small clip of everything our family went through to bring this boy home. Thanks to those who walked this road with us in so many different ways. I hope you enjoy.
Showing posts with label Adopting Parent. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Adopting Parent. Show all posts
Shower Pics
I finally got a chance during naptime today to put all of the pictures from Micah's adoption shower into a slide show! Yay! Thanks to all my sweet friends for throwing this shower and thanks to everyone who made it out to celebrate my FIRST BOY! :) It was a wonderful day that I will never forget. (And it certainly helped me get through that time before Micah and Jake came home!)
(Notice the little toy men around the food are holding Ukrainian flags! Too cute!)
If you're trying to count- there were FIVE babies there and THREE pregnant women (including me)!
(Notice the little toy men around the food are holding Ukrainian flags! Too cute!)
If you're trying to count- there were FIVE babies there and THREE pregnant women (including me)!
They're Home! :)
My boys are home safe and sound and all that I can say is that it feels good to be a whole family. :)
After a very joyous airport homecoming, Micah fell asleep in the van on the way home... we brought him in, laid him on the chair and this is where has stayed. :) I suppose he'll have to take a tour of his new home in the morning. This is one pooped out little boy.
But all is well, I hope to post more pictures tomorrow. For now, I'm going to sleep GOOD tonight with my family all under one roof. :)
PRAYERS NEEDED
Here is what we all need to be agreeing for in prayer together:
~That the scope goes smoothly and the results are NEGATIVE
(its at 8am their time, midnight here)
~That the negative results come QUICKLY
(supposed to be in by noon there, 3am here)
~That they are able to rush over to the Embassy before it closes to get his Visa
(the embassy closes by 2pm, 5am here)
If everything doesn't happen on time, it will be Tuesday before they get it because Monday is a Ukrainian holiday.
Thank you for standing in the gap with us to bring them home so our family can be whole!
(For more info go on over to my adoption blog.)
~That the scope goes smoothly and the results are NEGATIVE
(its at 8am their time, midnight here)
~That the negative results come QUICKLY
(supposed to be in by noon there, 3am here)
~That they are able to rush over to the Embassy before it closes to get his Visa
(the embassy closes by 2pm, 5am here)
If everything doesn't happen on time, it will be Tuesday before they get it because Monday is a Ukrainian holiday.
Thank you for standing in the gap with us to bring them home so our family can be whole!
(For more info go on over to my adoption blog.)
I'm just sayin'...
You know... it would be wrong for me to convey to you that everything in my life is sunshine and roses. (Brace yourself, I'm feeling reflective.) :)
Yes, I am a very blessed woman. I have a beautiful family, we're adopting and expecting a baby, dah duh dah duh dah... I don't have to tell you how blessed I am. I KNOW I'm blessed and I AM thankful. (That was my disclaimer.)
But tonight I'm frustrated. And tired. I MISS my husband and I want him to come home. I don't like watching TV by myself at night after the kids go to bed. I need him here to tell him all the funny things that the girls said that day. I need him to hug me and laugh at me because I'm weird. I need his sense of calm and his wisdom. I want to see my little boy and get to know him more. I want to start life with him here. I want him to be included when I reference "my children". I am concerned about this TB thing. Tonight I read some blogs about TB testing and I don't want him to do that for three days. Now granted, I don't want to be ignorant either, and if he's got active TB (which we HIGHLY doubt), then it needs to be addressed and treated. But if he doesn't, I want them to leave him alone and let him come home to me.
The pipes under my kitchen sink busted last night and flooded my kitchen floors. I backed into Jakes truck last week and dented the bumper of the van we need to sell. I hate dragging the stinky trash cans down to the road on Monday nights. My kids need a break from me and I need a break from them. We've been together every waking minute for the last two weeks. We've survived a fever bug, a separate stomach bug, heat exhaustion, dehydration, sunburn, multiple bug bites, a bee sting, some swollen feet and a few braxton hicks (those last three were me :)). Not to mention 4 days of VBS, a yearly developmental eval and an IFSP meeting (for Abby) and a 22 week OB checkup. I'm pregnant and I'm cranky. Everything smells funny to me and my belly itches really bad. I'm starving but the only thing that tastes good is Root beer and cheese dip.
And ya know, oh well. Poor me. Life goes on. This is what its like to have 3 kids between the ages of 2 and 5. Its about to get even crazier! This is what I signed up for and really, I don't mind all that much. The point is... I'm just tired.
This doesn't mean that anyone needs to feel sorry for me (please don't!) or come to my rescue. I just needed to vent, and its MY blog. :) And I know my God loves me... swollen feet and all.
Yes, I am a very blessed woman. I have a beautiful family, we're adopting and expecting a baby, dah duh dah duh dah... I don't have to tell you how blessed I am. I KNOW I'm blessed and I AM thankful. (That was my disclaimer.)
But tonight I'm frustrated. And tired. I MISS my husband and I want him to come home. I don't like watching TV by myself at night after the kids go to bed. I need him here to tell him all the funny things that the girls said that day. I need him to hug me and laugh at me because I'm weird. I need his sense of calm and his wisdom. I want to see my little boy and get to know him more. I want to start life with him here. I want him to be included when I reference "my children". I am concerned about this TB thing. Tonight I read some blogs about TB testing and I don't want him to do that for three days. Now granted, I don't want to be ignorant either, and if he's got active TB (which we HIGHLY doubt), then it needs to be addressed and treated. But if he doesn't, I want them to leave him alone and let him come home to me.
The pipes under my kitchen sink busted last night and flooded my kitchen floors. I backed into Jakes truck last week and dented the bumper of the van we need to sell. I hate dragging the stinky trash cans down to the road on Monday nights. My kids need a break from me and I need a break from them. We've been together every waking minute for the last two weeks. We've survived a fever bug, a separate stomach bug, heat exhaustion, dehydration, sunburn, multiple bug bites, a bee sting, some swollen feet and a few braxton hicks (those last three were me :)). Not to mention 4 days of VBS, a yearly developmental eval and an IFSP meeting (for Abby) and a 22 week OB checkup. I'm pregnant and I'm cranky. Everything smells funny to me and my belly itches really bad. I'm starving but the only thing that tastes good is Root beer and cheese dip.
And ya know, oh well. Poor me. Life goes on. This is what its like to have 3 kids between the ages of 2 and 5. Its about to get even crazier! This is what I signed up for and really, I don't mind all that much. The point is... I'm just tired.
This doesn't mean that anyone needs to feel sorry for me (please don't!) or come to my rescue. I just needed to vent, and its MY blog. :) And I know my God loves me... swollen feet and all.
Airport
I just wanted to be sure that everyone knows that you are all welcome to come see the newest Spencer member come in at the airport Saturday night!
We are HONORED that so many of you have requested to be there and we would LOVE to see you and have your support! This is every bit the same to us as bringing home a baby from the hospital and it just wouldn't be the same without seeing the faces of our family and friends!!
That being said and given that our situation is a little different than most adoptions (Jake bringing him and me being here with our other kids), we know that you'll all understand that we'd like a few minutes just to introduce the girls to their new brother, get a few minutes of Mommy kisses in, and just have a moment as a family before greeting the world. So the girls and I will be waiting close to the terminal, and we are asking that everyone else wait for us at baggage claim. Also- knowing that they will have been traveling for a long time- have mercy on us if our little boy is either a little wild or sound asleep! (Have mercy on Jake too for that matter! lol) We're VERY excited but also trying to keep realistic expectations that all of the kids are gonna be exhausted and possibly really grumpy!!
As of right now, they are scheduled to arrive at the Nashville Airport at 9:45pm. If there are any changes (up until the last minute) I will update the blog. Also please feel free to spread the word, but we ask that no one post on public blogs or facebook.
Thanks again to everyone for your support!!! I can't WAIT for you to see our little boy! :)
We are HONORED that so many of you have requested to be there and we would LOVE to see you and have your support! This is every bit the same to us as bringing home a baby from the hospital and it just wouldn't be the same without seeing the faces of our family and friends!!
That being said and given that our situation is a little different than most adoptions (Jake bringing him and me being here with our other kids), we know that you'll all understand that we'd like a few minutes just to introduce the girls to their new brother, get a few minutes of Mommy kisses in, and just have a moment as a family before greeting the world. So the girls and I will be waiting close to the terminal, and we are asking that everyone else wait for us at baggage claim. Also- knowing that they will have been traveling for a long time- have mercy on us if our little boy is either a little wild or sound asleep! (Have mercy on Jake too for that matter! lol) We're VERY excited but also trying to keep realistic expectations that all of the kids are gonna be exhausted and possibly really grumpy!!
As of right now, they are scheduled to arrive at the Nashville Airport at 9:45pm. If there are any changes (up until the last minute) I will update the blog. Also please feel free to spread the word, but we ask that no one post on public blogs or facebook.
Thanks again to everyone for your support!!! I can't WAIT for you to see our little boy! :)
They made it!
Well, praise the Lord, Jake and Zack made it to Kiev! The connecting flight ended up being slightly delayed so they were able to rush from one flight to the next! He just emailed me from the train station to say that they made it safely and are getting on the train in a couple hours. :)
But more prayers are still needed- their luggage wasn't as lucky as they were. :( All he said was that its being shipped to them in the next couple of days. And I don't know about Zack, but I know Jake didn't pack any extra clothes in his backpack. So now they need prayers that their bags arrive quickly!!!
God is so good and I love that he answers even the smallest of prayers. They would have been fine even if they didn't make it on time and had to wait another day to go to Odesa, but we prayed... and He honored it. Thanks to everyone who lifted them up! And thank you Lord for answering!
But more prayers are still needed- their luggage wasn't as lucky as they were. :( All he said was that its being shipped to them in the next couple of days. And I don't know about Zack, but I know Jake didn't pack any extra clothes in his backpack. So now they need prayers that their bags arrive quickly!!!
God is so good and I love that he answers even the smallest of prayers. They would have been fine even if they didn't make it on time and had to wait another day to go to Odesa, but we prayed... and He honored it. Thanks to everyone who lifted them up! And thank you Lord for answering!
Please pray
***Update- The website says their flight landed almost an hour ago. Which means they most likely missed the connecting flight. There was only one other flight I saw listed last night that would get them there in time for the train. And I still haven't heard from them. Will let you know what happens. Thanks for the prayers!!!***
Jake's flight from DC was delayed significantly tonight. He and Zack sat ON the plane for 5 1/2 hours waiting to leave for Munich but were grounded due to bad weather. And here's the catch- their first layover in Munich was 5 hours, so as it stands right now, their plane lands the same time their next flight is scheduled to leave. So IF they can make up some time in the air (and thats what we need to be praying for), then they can catch the next flight, make it to Kiev, and get on the overnight train to Odesa by the next morning as planned. If they don't make the next flight, they won't make the train and will have to take the one the following night and won't get to Odesa until Saturday morning. :( And every day matters so that they can do what needs to be done and get home when they planned to.
So please pray if you are reading this in the next 8 hours. :) I will update in the morning when I hear from Jake if they made it or not. And if I don't hear anything... we'll just keep praying anyway!
Jake's flight from DC was delayed significantly tonight. He and Zack sat ON the plane for 5 1/2 hours waiting to leave for Munich but were grounded due to bad weather. And here's the catch- their first layover in Munich was 5 hours, so as it stands right now, their plane lands the same time their next flight is scheduled to leave. So IF they can make up some time in the air (and thats what we need to be praying for), then they can catch the next flight, make it to Kiev, and get on the overnight train to Odesa by the next morning as planned. If they don't make the next flight, they won't make the train and will have to take the one the following night and won't get to Odesa until Saturday morning. :( And every day matters so that they can do what needs to be done and get home when they planned to.
So please pray if you are reading this in the next 8 hours. :) I will update in the morning when I hear from Jake if they made it or not. And if I don't hear anything... we'll just keep praying anyway!
Blogging
Because Pavel Micah is officially a Spencer, (WHOO HOO!! :) I love saying that!) I will continue to post adoption updates back on our adoption blog again. I think I'm going to repost everything we wrote during our trip on that blog to share our journey with others... we just had to be super careful not to jeopardize the process while it was all happening.
Thank you sweet friends and family for following our journey this far. I haven't decided yet rather or not to make this blog public again or to leave it private, but I look forward to the day (which is coming SOON) when the adoption blog will be a memory and little Pavel Micah will just be a part of the everyday life of the Spencer family. :) I would be honored for you all to continue to keep up with our family through this, my silly little blog. Now being a mother of four (very soon to be five), I can't guarantee how much I'll update it, but would love to try to keep you informed on whats going on in the lives of these precious treasures the Lord has given me.
Now go check out www.bringinghomeboys.blogspot.com, just posted a "doubly" special announcement!!
Thank you sweet friends and family for following our journey this far. I haven't decided yet rather or not to make this blog public again or to leave it private, but I look forward to the day (which is coming SOON) when the adoption blog will be a memory and little Pavel Micah will just be a part of the everyday life of the Spencer family. :) I would be honored for you all to continue to keep up with our family through this, my silly little blog. Now being a mother of four (very soon to be five), I can't guarantee how much I'll update it, but would love to try to keep you informed on whats going on in the lives of these precious treasures the Lord has given me.
Now go check out www.bringinghomeboys.blogspot.com, just posted a "doubly" special announcement!!
Home sweet home
Hi all, just wanted to let you know that we made it home safe and sound last night. We can't thank you all enough for your prayers.
The flights were all fine... there were a couple little hang ups because we switched our return flight from the 6th to the 2nd (and very last minute) but it all worked out fine. And our flight from Charlotte to Nashville was supposed to be way delayed because of some maintanance issues, but it ended up leaving and arriving on time as well.
It was SOOO good to see our babies last night. :) Its wonderful to be home. I just can't express... :) We slept like rocks last night (Jake still is) but I woke up this morning around 6 and couldn't go back to sleep. Don't think its a jetlag issue, I just couldn't stop thinking about all I want to do around here to get ready for my little boy to come home. :) The girls are still sleeping as well so I thought I'd steal away a few minutes to update the blog. Abby is in there making her precious noises now actually...
I have so much in my heart and in my head that I want to share. But for now, we are here, we are safe, and we are blessed. Love to you all...
The flights were all fine... there were a couple little hang ups because we switched our return flight from the 6th to the 2nd (and very last minute) but it all worked out fine. And our flight from Charlotte to Nashville was supposed to be way delayed because of some maintanance issues, but it ended up leaving and arriving on time as well.
It was SOOO good to see our babies last night. :) Its wonderful to be home. I just can't express... :) We slept like rocks last night (Jake still is) but I woke up this morning around 6 and couldn't go back to sleep. Don't think its a jetlag issue, I just couldn't stop thinking about all I want to do around here to get ready for my little boy to come home. :) The girls are still sleeping as well so I thought I'd steal away a few minutes to update the blog. Abby is in there making her precious noises now actually...
I have so much in my heart and in my head that I want to share. But for now, we are here, we are safe, and we are blessed. Love to you all...
Court
We just got back from our court appointment and it went great!!! Pavel Micah Spencer was just declared our son! It went so fast- 10 or 15 minutes maybe. And we were asked just a few questions, the answer to most of which he had right in front of him but was verifying information.
Our interpreter is just awesome, she made the whole thing so much less stressful. We really love her. When it was over, we all hugged and there were lots of translated congratulations. :) We said our goodbye's to Svetlana our facilitator/orphanage lawyer (who has also been GREAT) and she gave Jake some quick information about his return.
I wish I could write more but we only have a couple of hours to pack up, clean up our apartment and run to the market before our driver gets here to take us to the airport. Please pray for our travels, that all of our flights would be safe! We leave Odesa at 7:00 and arrive in Kiev one hour later. Then we're basically staying at the airport until our flight leaves at 6:30 in the morning. Then on to Munich Germany, Charlotte NC, and Nashville!! :)
(Oh and the performance was adorable this morning!! Pavel Micah sat with us and was every bit what you would expect from a 3 year old little boy who's TRYING to be good through an hour and a half performance. :) But I got tons of pictures and video that I'll share when we get home!)
Our interpreter is just awesome, she made the whole thing so much less stressful. We really love her. When it was over, we all hugged and there were lots of translated congratulations. :) We said our goodbye's to Svetlana our facilitator/orphanage lawyer (who has also been GREAT) and she gave Jake some quick information about his return.
I wish I could write more but we only have a couple of hours to pack up, clean up our apartment and run to the market before our driver gets here to take us to the airport. Please pray for our travels, that all of our flights would be safe! We leave Odesa at 7:00 and arrive in Kiev one hour later. Then we're basically staying at the airport until our flight leaves at 6:30 in the morning. Then on to Munich Germany, Charlotte NC, and Nashville!! :)
(Oh and the performance was adorable this morning!! Pavel Micah sat with us and was every bit what you would expect from a 3 year old little boy who's TRYING to be good through an hour and a half performance. :) But I got tons of pictures and video that I'll share when we get home!)
Prayer requests
Ok all you prayer warriors, we need your prayers for lots of different things!
1) Jake's grandmother might be having a surgery this week. Without going into too many details, she could use some prayer for Divine intervention and for all that goes along with having this surgery.
2.) My dad's having some problems and has been back in and out of the hospital the last couple of days. Again, without too many details, please just pray that the Dr's would have wisdom, do what needs to be done, and that Dad would be as pain free as possible.
3.) Diane is probably driving up to see her mom on Wednesday and is helping juggle the girls before she goes, working and trying to get herself ready to go out of town. Pray for her strength through the next few days!
4.) My mom has got her own medical issues on top of taking care of Dad, work and the girls. Please pray for endurance for this week as well.
5.) The girls are doing great and have truly been covered by the Lord while we have been gone, but please continue to lift them up. That their little hearts would be sealed and that they would not be anxious for anything but know that they are safe and Mommy and Daddy are coming home soon.
6.) Pray for Pavel Micah as we have our last two days with him. Pray that he would not be confused that we aren't there anymore but that the time would go quickly. That God would speak to him and he would know that we are coming back for him soon.
7.) We are hoping and praying to leave Odesa on Monday night, take a small flight to Kiev, and then fly out from there early Tuesday morning, so please pray for our safety for all of those flights.
8.) Please pray for court on Monday. We expect that it will go quickly, but it IS a holiday so we're praying it doesn't get bumped. Especially because the judge will be out of town the rest of that week. Things move pretty quickly for adoptions of children with special needs, and we have an awesome team working for us, but nonetheless. We need prayer! We need to get home to our babies.
9.) Pray that the paperwork all plays out smoothly. Its a little difficult that I'm not coming back after court appeals are over, and we need to be sure to have all paperwork layed out correctly before we go. Pray specifically that nothing is overlooked and that everything that needs to be done, signed, notarized, etc. gets done.
Thank you all so much. I'm actually tearing up right now knowing what an amazing group of people are going to be reading this and that you all WILL pray. I can't thank you enough. What would we do without you?
1) Jake's grandmother might be having a surgery this week. Without going into too many details, she could use some prayer for Divine intervention and for all that goes along with having this surgery.
2.) My dad's having some problems and has been back in and out of the hospital the last couple of days. Again, without too many details, please just pray that the Dr's would have wisdom, do what needs to be done, and that Dad would be as pain free as possible.
3.) Diane is probably driving up to see her mom on Wednesday and is helping juggle the girls before she goes, working and trying to get herself ready to go out of town. Pray for her strength through the next few days!
4.) My mom has got her own medical issues on top of taking care of Dad, work and the girls. Please pray for endurance for this week as well.
5.) The girls are doing great and have truly been covered by the Lord while we have been gone, but please continue to lift them up. That their little hearts would be sealed and that they would not be anxious for anything but know that they are safe and Mommy and Daddy are coming home soon.
6.) Pray for Pavel Micah as we have our last two days with him. Pray that he would not be confused that we aren't there anymore but that the time would go quickly. That God would speak to him and he would know that we are coming back for him soon.
7.) We are hoping and praying to leave Odesa on Monday night, take a small flight to Kiev, and then fly out from there early Tuesday morning, so please pray for our safety for all of those flights.
8.) Please pray for court on Monday. We expect that it will go quickly, but it IS a holiday so we're praying it doesn't get bumped. Especially because the judge will be out of town the rest of that week. Things move pretty quickly for adoptions of children with special needs, and we have an awesome team working for us, but nonetheless. We need prayer! We need to get home to our babies.
9.) Pray that the paperwork all plays out smoothly. Its a little difficult that I'm not coming back after court appeals are over, and we need to be sure to have all paperwork layed out correctly before we go. Pray specifically that nothing is overlooked and that everything that needs to be done, signed, notarized, etc. gets done.
Thank you all so much. I'm actually tearing up right now knowing what an amazing group of people are going to be reading this and that you all WILL pray. I can't thank you enough. What would we do without you?
Just for fun
The other day I tried to catch our little greeting on video. This is what we see every single day, twice a day. And his joy to see us only gets bigger and bigger, like we're long lost friends of his. :) We are truly BLESSED that he has connected with us so well... after this part we take him outside and for the first 5 or 10 minutes we're there he just holds Jake close and smiles that big smile as if to say "I've missed you so much... since lunchtime!" :)
Court date!!!
We just found out tonight that our court is set for Monday at noon!!! I'm so excited right now!!!
Our translator and her husband invited us to their house for dinner tonight with another adopting family... and it was such a nice evening! They were such sweet people and the food was wonderful! So nice to get a cook home cooked meal- she had sausages and potatoes with salad and bread. And we had ice cream and fruit for desert. They shared about their ministries here and we shared a lot about our youth ministry at home. These people have such a big heart for orphans and even just for the poor children of their community. And it was fun to get to know this other family- Marsha and she had four of her kids with her... her husband is back in the states with their other children for a bit. Her kids were all so well behaved and sweet... we were very impressed. :) And they are Texans! So they've GOT to be good people. ;) Anyway, we were so glad to be there especially since we weren't able to make it to our last dinner invitation from Marsha. Alyona and her husband walked us home and helped us with some little details that needed worked out (like they installed a new door on our apartment building so now we can't get in without a code which we don't know and couldn't find out because we don't speak Russian... stuff like that :)) They are such a sweet couple and I wish we could spend more time with them; I could see us all being very good friends.
So PRAISE THE LORD for our court date... only two more Groundhog Days left! :) And Monday is National Children's Day so the children at the orphanage are doing a performance which the director invited us to, at 10am. We still aren't sure if Pavel Micah is in it yet or not, but nonetheless we are looking forward to seeing this little play and then heading to court. I will try to tape as much of the performance as I can, and if so, I'll post it. But for now, please pray for Monday!!!
Our translator and her husband invited us to their house for dinner tonight with another adopting family... and it was such a nice evening! They were such sweet people and the food was wonderful! So nice to get a cook home cooked meal- she had sausages and potatoes with salad and bread. And we had ice cream and fruit for desert. They shared about their ministries here and we shared a lot about our youth ministry at home. These people have such a big heart for orphans and even just for the poor children of their community. And it was fun to get to know this other family- Marsha and she had four of her kids with her... her husband is back in the states with their other children for a bit. Her kids were all so well behaved and sweet... we were very impressed. :) And they are Texans! So they've GOT to be good people. ;) Anyway, we were so glad to be there especially since we weren't able to make it to our last dinner invitation from Marsha. Alyona and her husband walked us home and helped us with some little details that needed worked out (like they installed a new door on our apartment building so now we can't get in without a code which we don't know and couldn't find out because we don't speak Russian... stuff like that :)) They are such a sweet couple and I wish we could spend more time with them; I could see us all being very good friends.
So PRAISE THE LORD for our court date... only two more Groundhog Days left! :) And Monday is National Children's Day so the children at the orphanage are doing a performance which the director invited us to, at 10am. We still aren't sure if Pavel Micah is in it yet or not, but nonetheless we are looking forward to seeing this little play and then heading to court. I will try to tape as much of the performance as I can, and if so, I'll post it. But for now, please pray for Monday!!!
He knows.
Well, today is another beach day for Pavel Micah so we have no plans and not much to do until 4:00. I just finished a bowl of cheerios that we bought at the store last night and even though the milk came in a carton that was not previously COLD which was a little concerning... it was actually pretty good. :) Jake is sleeping in (I know, who Jake?! lol) and I'm sitting here checking email and reading blogs and reflecting on our lives at the moment. I am IN Ukraine. Adopting. I'm 26. And I'm pregnant. With our FOURTH daughter. My mom said in an email the other day not to worry about the kids at home, just to worry about my two babies here. :) And it really hit me- two of my FIVE kids are right here with me. I don't know either of them very well yet, but they are both IN my heart every bit as much as my other three.
Part of me wonders, "how did I get here?". And the other part laughs because its a silly question. The Lord has brought us here. HE CHOSE Pavel for us. He chose every one of our kids. He knew Ashley long before we were in the delivery room thinking I was about to give birth to a Jordan Elliot. He knew. And He knew Emily long before we brought her home and that little peanut STOLE my heart and I was immediately wrapped around her little finger forever. He knew. :) He knew that Abby had three chromosomes long before WE knew we'd have three kids in 4 years. He knew it would rock my world and I'd learn things and meet people and go places I never would have otherwise. He knew. He knew that when I was 37 weeks pregnant with Emily a little boy was born on the other side of the world who's mommy would give him up because SHE didn't know and that almost exactly four years later, he would become a Spencer. He knew. He knew that this baby in my womb was coming and was a girl long before we signed up to adopt two little boys with Ds.
I love that my life is in His hands. May it never be any other way. And its because I know that He knows... that I have faith, that I have strength, that I TRUST that everything is working out according to His purpose.
I still don't know a court date. I still don't know what we're going to call Pavel. I still don't know what we're going to name this baby. I still don't know when we're coming home. I still don't know if this whole adoption is going to fall through. I still don't really know if this baby has Ds too. I don't know if my kids will follow Christ as adults and I don't know if I'm guarentee'd tomorrow.
But He knows. :) And you know what? That's enough for me.
Part of me wonders, "how did I get here?". And the other part laughs because its a silly question. The Lord has brought us here. HE CHOSE Pavel for us. He chose every one of our kids. He knew Ashley long before we were in the delivery room thinking I was about to give birth to a Jordan Elliot. He knew. And He knew Emily long before we brought her home and that little peanut STOLE my heart and I was immediately wrapped around her little finger forever. He knew. :) He knew that Abby had three chromosomes long before WE knew we'd have three kids in 4 years. He knew it would rock my world and I'd learn things and meet people and go places I never would have otherwise. He knew. He knew that when I was 37 weeks pregnant with Emily a little boy was born on the other side of the world who's mommy would give him up because SHE didn't know and that almost exactly four years later, he would become a Spencer. He knew. He knew that this baby in my womb was coming and was a girl long before we signed up to adopt two little boys with Ds.
I love that my life is in His hands. May it never be any other way. And its because I know that He knows... that I have faith, that I have strength, that I TRUST that everything is working out according to His purpose.
I still don't know a court date. I still don't know what we're going to call Pavel. I still don't know what we're going to name this baby. I still don't know when we're coming home. I still don't know if this whole adoption is going to fall through. I still don't really know if this baby has Ds too. I don't know if my kids will follow Christ as adults and I don't know if I'm guarentee'd tomorrow.
But He knows. :) And you know what? That's enough for me.
Downtown Odesa
We had such a fun time downtown yesterday. Its true what my RR friends say about the orphanage visits... they are truly like the movie "Groundhog Day". Every day is the same. Its almost freaky.
But a little walking around and sightseeing in this part of town did us good. We had some good food, enjoyed walking around and people watching, doing a little shopping, and touring some sights. We went to the Wax museum, walked through the Archaeological museum, walked the long pier thingy to the Black Sea (though this area wasn't beaches, it was all ports and boats and boy stuff. :)) And we saw the famous Potemkin Stairs, lots of statues, and many many street vendors. I had my first experience with a Turkish Toilet (aka Squatty Potty). Yikes.
There was even this one area that had all these cute little old men having some sort of chess and domino's tournament! My Papaw would have LOVED it! :)
Odesa has TONS of beautiful gardens and fountains and parks. (One would be PERFECT for weddings... Jodie, you and I could make a lot of money here! :)) And lots of upscale shops and outdoor cafe's. This was such a fun city, we both said we would come down here all the time if we lived here. It was such a nice little get away for both of us. WE {HEART} ODESA! :)
But a little walking around and sightseeing in this part of town did us good. We had some good food, enjoyed walking around and people watching, doing a little shopping, and touring some sights. We went to the Wax museum, walked through the Archaeological museum, walked the long pier thingy to the Black Sea (though this area wasn't beaches, it was all ports and boats and boy stuff. :)) And we saw the famous Potemkin Stairs, lots of statues, and many many street vendors. I had my first experience with a Turkish Toilet (aka Squatty Potty). Yikes.
There was even this one area that had all these cute little old men having some sort of chess and domino's tournament! My Papaw would have LOVED it! :)
Odesa has TONS of beautiful gardens and fountains and parks. (One would be PERFECT for weddings... Jodie, you and I could make a lot of money here! :)) And lots of upscale shops and outdoor cafe's. This was such a fun city, we both said we would come down here all the time if we lived here. It was such a nice little get away for both of us. WE {HEART} ODESA! :)
Some Mommy Love
Not much new to update. We still don't have a court date and are kinda frustrated we haven't heard anything yet. Please pray we get one soon. We're so ready to move to the next step in this process.
Since today was Pavel Micah's (I guess that's what we'll call him for now :)) beach day, we took the opportunity to walk around downtown Odesa. (But that's another post... we had a great time, had some good food and saw some fun sights. I'll post pictures tomorrow.)
But today I wanted to share some pics of me and my little boy. We've had a few sweet bonding moments the last couple of days... He's figured out that its really fun when Mommy holds you close and gives kisses and sings. :) But thats what Mommy's are for. I've been singing the "So let the sun shine in, face it with a grin..." song and he really likes it. :) He smiles so big when I hold him and sing it.
He played around a bigger group of kids today while we were on the playground, and seeing him next to some of those boys put in perspective for me what a little guy he really still is. He looked so "baby" pushing around on his car while they zoomed around him on bikes. It made my heart pull to him even more and you know, I don't NEED anymore reasons to be head over heals for this kid!!
Tomorrow I'll try to have some pics from our sightseeing day.
Since today was Pavel Micah's (I guess that's what we'll call him for now :)) beach day, we took the opportunity to walk around downtown Odesa. (But that's another post... we had a great time, had some good food and saw some fun sights. I'll post pictures tomorrow.)
But today I wanted to share some pics of me and my little boy. We've had a few sweet bonding moments the last couple of days... He's figured out that its really fun when Mommy holds you close and gives kisses and sings. :) But thats what Mommy's are for. I've been singing the "So let the sun shine in, face it with a grin..." song and he really likes it. :) He smiles so big when I hold him and sing it.
He played around a bigger group of kids today while we were on the playground, and seeing him next to some of those boys put in perspective for me what a little guy he really still is. He looked so "baby" pushing around on his car while they zoomed around him on bikes. It made my heart pull to him even more and you know, I don't NEED anymore reasons to be head over heals for this kid!!
Tomorrow I'll try to have some pics from our sightseeing day.
Names
Though Pavel's new legal name has already been chosen and is on paper "Pavel Micah Spencer", we still are having a hard time deciding what to call him.
He doesn't really answer to anything. He is called such a wide array of names here. Mostly Barusah and Pasha, but a lot of times its some version of one of the two. I don't know if he's confused... or just too busy to respond (which is very possible :)) but in the few days that we've spent with him- he answers to NONE of them from us.
So basically we feel like we have an opportunity here to call him whatever we want. But we feel sort of torn... Pavel is how we've always known him, but now seeing him, he doesn't really feel like a Pavel. And I may have already said this, I don't remember, but in their language, Micah means T-shirt. So the people here think it's HILARIOUS that we are making his middle name Micah. We tried to explain that it is a book of the Bible, but they didn't really seem to get it or care. Just thought it was really funny. They kept saying "Michael?" and we would say, "No, MICAH" and they would look at each other and laugh. (Which... I guess I would too. :))
Being a 'special' kid, I want to make things as easy as possible for him. And if telling people his name is Pavel later as a bigger kid or adult causes people to say "what is it?" or "how do you spell that?" or causes any confusion at all, I would just as soon name him Micah. Pavel isn't exactly a common name. And I know if we called him Micah it would be a constant reminder to me of the mandate the Lord put in my heart to pursue this little boy on the other side of the world. But its also hard because I feel like our families, our friends, and mostly our KIDS know him as Pavel and to change that might be confusing.
So this is all just stuff we're talking about and thinking about. We haven't really made any final decisions yet, just kinda letting things play out and knowing that God knows what we will call him in the end. But I felt like I should address it on the blog because we've had a lot of people ask over time if we were going to change it.
We also have been trying to use all this spare time to think through a name for this little girl in my belly. :) Not having a ton of luck there either, but we do have a couple of thoughts that we're discussing. (Jake said last night that if we end up deciding on Micah, that we should call the baby "Jeans". Haha, very funny Babe. ;))
Seriously though, in the end, we just want to be sure that no matter what, we step out of the way and let God... well, just let God. :)
He doesn't really answer to anything. He is called such a wide array of names here. Mostly Barusah and Pasha, but a lot of times its some version of one of the two. I don't know if he's confused... or just too busy to respond (which is very possible :)) but in the few days that we've spent with him- he answers to NONE of them from us.
So basically we feel like we have an opportunity here to call him whatever we want. But we feel sort of torn... Pavel is how we've always known him, but now seeing him, he doesn't really feel like a Pavel. And I may have already said this, I don't remember, but in their language, Micah means T-shirt. So the people here think it's HILARIOUS that we are making his middle name Micah. We tried to explain that it is a book of the Bible, but they didn't really seem to get it or care. Just thought it was really funny. They kept saying "Michael?" and we would say, "No, MICAH" and they would look at each other and laugh. (Which... I guess I would too. :))
Being a 'special' kid, I want to make things as easy as possible for him. And if telling people his name is Pavel later as a bigger kid or adult causes people to say "what is it?" or "how do you spell that?" or causes any confusion at all, I would just as soon name him Micah. Pavel isn't exactly a common name. And I know if we called him Micah it would be a constant reminder to me of the mandate the Lord put in my heart to pursue this little boy on the other side of the world. But its also hard because I feel like our families, our friends, and mostly our KIDS know him as Pavel and to change that might be confusing.
So this is all just stuff we're talking about and thinking about. We haven't really made any final decisions yet, just kinda letting things play out and knowing that God knows what we will call him in the end. But I felt like I should address it on the blog because we've had a lot of people ask over time if we were going to change it.
We also have been trying to use all this spare time to think through a name for this little girl in my belly. :) Not having a ton of luck there either, but we do have a couple of thoughts that we're discussing. (Jake said last night that if we end up deciding on Micah, that we should call the baby "Jeans". Haha, very funny Babe. ;))
Seriously though, in the end, we just want to be sure that no matter what, we step out of the way and let God... well, just let God. :)
Lunch
This clip is from our first day here... we got to go in and watch for a few minutes as his group had lunch. You'll see his little buddy Max (who is being adopted soon, yay!!!) in the dark green shirt sitting there flirting with us as we wait for Pavel to get back from washing his hands. And then check out Pavel eat!!! That kid can go to town! We think it was some kind of potato, carrot, chicken stew stuff. We noticed a lot of the other kids didn't have bibs on, but he definitely utilized the one they put on him. :) You can also see his buddy Max "helping" him for a second, but the caregivers got onto him for it, so he stopped and "hid" in his bowl to laugh. :) We stopped recording before they were done, after this they had a whole second course which looked like a big ol' bowl of sweet potatoes. Pavel gobbled that up too of course. We shouldn't have a hard time getting this little guy to eat!
Anyway, thought this was a sweet little clip.
Anyway, thought this was a sweet little clip.
Notes
These are some (most actually) of the notes I took from the meeting with the orphanage on Wednesday. This was all interpreted to me, and very quickly. I was jotting down notes as quickly as I could, but wanted to type it all up while it was still fresh in my head. Some interesting (and some very sad) information, but I'm a details person, so I thought I would share. :)
Name: Borislov Pavel (last name first)
Birthdate: June 4, 2005
Birth mother born 1967, birth father born 1957
(We are still waiting to find out his birthweight, length and parent's nationality but we believe they were both full Ukrainian)
They were married, they did not know he had Ds until he was born at the maternity house. They were very upset and embarrassed. They blamed the doctors saying that they would have had an abortion if they had known. They told all family members that he died in the hospital. The mother showed no remorse and never came back to the hospital, but the father would stop by to drop off money for him (I'm assuming for his hospital bills). After a short while he stopped coming and their lawyer would drop the money off. They both signed papers to release him for adoption as soon as he was born. There is no contact info for either of them but only a phone number for their lawyer.
He was taken to Odesa Orphanage #3 at 4 months old and has been there ever since. He has been sick and hospitalized many times, fighting colds, the flu, bronchitis, laryngitis, pneumonia twice, and an ear infection in one ear. He has also had the chicken pox. When he was 12 months, he ran such a high fever in the hospital that he had a seizure but was tested and does not have epilepsy- it was an isolated event due to the fever. It was the only time he as ever seized. He was last hospitalized on Sept. 08 for a cold.
He was born with a small hole in his heart, known as an oval window, but was rechecked in Jan. 09 and the hole is much smaller. It is believed to be closing. He may be far sighted and is suggested to see an eye doctor before he turns five. He's had many vaccinations and was also tested for HIV, cyphalis (sp?), and hepatitis. All tests were negative.
They are saying he has dermatitis. They are systematically withholding different foods- currently apples, candy and any juices. He is on 4 different medications , oral and topical, to fix the problem. (Besides his rashy cheeks, Jake and I saw two different rashes today, one on his elbow and one on the back of his leg. Not sure about those but I have a good feeling some good, frequent face washings and some Aquafore will clear his cheeks right up. :))
He likes to play drums, can stack circles (those donut shaped toys on the stick) and knows many parts of the body. He follows basic instruction and though his speech development is delayed, he understands quite a bit.
That was about it. We shared pictures of the girls and the doctor was glad to see the picture of Abby with red, dry cheeks. I think this made her feel more confident that we know what we're dealing with and can handle it. :) They told us he is a sweet boy and well loved by all in the orphanage. Even the caregivers from other groups call out to him as we pass. During our visits, some who are off duty and are leaving for the day will come out to say goodbye to him before they go. I think they are all so happy he has found a family but are also sad to see him go. No doubt he has left an impression and this sweet little boy will not be soon forgotten.
Name: Borislov Pavel (last name first)
Birthdate: June 4, 2005
Birth mother born 1967, birth father born 1957
(We are still waiting to find out his birthweight, length and parent's nationality but we believe they were both full Ukrainian)
They were married, they did not know he had Ds until he was born at the maternity house. They were very upset and embarrassed. They blamed the doctors saying that they would have had an abortion if they had known. They told all family members that he died in the hospital. The mother showed no remorse and never came back to the hospital, but the father would stop by to drop off money for him (I'm assuming for his hospital bills). After a short while he stopped coming and their lawyer would drop the money off. They both signed papers to release him for adoption as soon as he was born. There is no contact info for either of them but only a phone number for their lawyer.
He was taken to Odesa Orphanage #3 at 4 months old and has been there ever since. He has been sick and hospitalized many times, fighting colds, the flu, bronchitis, laryngitis, pneumonia twice, and an ear infection in one ear. He has also had the chicken pox. When he was 12 months, he ran such a high fever in the hospital that he had a seizure but was tested and does not have epilepsy- it was an isolated event due to the fever. It was the only time he as ever seized. He was last hospitalized on Sept. 08 for a cold.
He was born with a small hole in his heart, known as an oval window, but was rechecked in Jan. 09 and the hole is much smaller. It is believed to be closing. He may be far sighted and is suggested to see an eye doctor before he turns five. He's had many vaccinations and was also tested for HIV, cyphalis (sp?), and hepatitis. All tests were negative.
They are saying he has dermatitis. They are systematically withholding different foods- currently apples, candy and any juices. He is on 4 different medications , oral and topical, to fix the problem. (Besides his rashy cheeks, Jake and I saw two different rashes today, one on his elbow and one on the back of his leg. Not sure about those but I have a good feeling some good, frequent face washings and some Aquafore will clear his cheeks right up. :))
He likes to play drums, can stack circles (those donut shaped toys on the stick) and knows many parts of the body. He follows basic instruction and though his speech development is delayed, he understands quite a bit.
That was about it. We shared pictures of the girls and the doctor was glad to see the picture of Abby with red, dry cheeks. I think this made her feel more confident that we know what we're dealing with and can handle it. :) They told us he is a sweet boy and well loved by all in the orphanage. Even the caregivers from other groups call out to him as we pass. During our visits, some who are off duty and are leaving for the day will come out to say goodbye to him before they go. I think they are all so happy he has found a family but are also sad to see him go. No doubt he has left an impression and this sweet little boy will not be soon forgotten.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
