Our house without Anna...it's hard to remember. Anna is such a wonderful fit in our lives, it is hard to imagine our lives without her. Yes, I remember when it was just the 3 boys and I was frantically gathering paperwork, waiting for news from our agency, praying for the next milestone to come, but it seems so long ago. It is hard to believe we have only been home just a little over a month.
Anna, ready for her first "real" outing since coming home.
So much has happened in the last month. Anna has made huge leaps and bounds. She is gaining weight, much more vocal and loves to play. She is actually becoming quite the jokester. She loves to "make you think" that she is going to kiss you or come to you and then right when she is in reach, she turns quickly to walk away. All the while with a sly grin on her face.
She does love her Daddy.
She is getting more used to having 3 brothers in the house. She knows what to do to get her way and what to do to get them to stay away. Parker, bless his mischievous heart, can come towards her and depending on her mood, she will immediately start fussing. Almost like she is tattling on him for getting too close. He is still learning to be gentle and to not try to grab her face and kiss her - constantly. It is almost like he just gets so excited to love on her, he just goes overboard...but sometimes, she humors him and it is too cute!
In the last month, Anna has had her first pediatrician visit and got her first round of immunizations. She was so good at the doctor's visit. She was very compliant and was just a perfect little trooper. Her immunizations, were the same. She had to have 6 shots. 2 in each leg and 1 in each arm. She was so pitiful for about 2 minutes, then she was her normal self. She ran a fever for about 1 day, but never really fussed. I kept Tylenol in her just in case she were to be uncomfortable. Our local health department is checking with the CDC to see if they suggest redoing all her immunizations or not. If so, we have to go back in 2 months for another round, if not, we go back in January.
I have talked with Shriner's in Cincinnati as another option for her palate surgery. We are still undecided about where and when. I have had another adoption professional suggest we wait a few more months to eliminate any potential set backs due to the pain. I don't want to rush it for sure, but I don't want to wait and cause any further speech delays/impediments that might be caused due to waiting.
You've read the cute poem about fingerprints on the doors and furniture...have you heard the one about the "footprints" on the furniture?!? I dust and come back in 5 minutes, max, only to discover my 3 year old has been dancing on the coffee table.
Why do I clean my house?
Anna definitely knows her name now. She can be turned around or around a corner and we can call her name and she will turn or come around the corner. Parker also knows her name. When she gets into the cabinets, he says, "Anna Mei, no, no." He likes the bossy part of being a big brother.
Our first Independence Day with Anna was not quite what we had hoped. I was very excited about her first 4th of July in America, we had plans to go to my cousin's house for a cookout and Anna had some very cute "Patriotic" attire to boot. Late July 3rd, a stomach virus hit our house and it hit hard. I was up nearly all night with Carter and Parker. When one wasn't up sick, the other was and if there was a few minutes between the two, I was cleaning up from where someone didn't make it to the bathroom...sorry for any visuals. So, on the Fourth, we had Anna quarantined upstairs with Rodney hoping the germs wouldn't infest her little body. I knew that if she were to get sick, it wouldn't take long for her to become dehydrated fast. I had been in the sickness all night, so I tried to stay away from her as much as I could in case I was infected. So our Fourth was very uneventful in the means of Patriotism, but in the sense of busy, it was a full day! Sheets, towels, rugs, and clothing was washed, floors were mopped (3 times), trashcans sanitized and kids were bathed (Parker 3 times...yes, this is related to the 3 times mopping the kitchen floor...again sorry for the visual). The reality of having multiple kids getting sick simultaneously hit hard. Next, year...we are going to celebrate BIG!
This was our July 4th. The boys downstairs watching movies with strict instructions to not go near Anna.
Happy 3rd Birthday Parker!
Anna was fascinated with the wrapping paper
We had to incorporate about 4 themes in his birthday, Spider-Man 3 cake, Transformer card, Ninja Turtles Shirt and Pirates of the Caribbean Action Figures...he loved it.
Last Thursday, we had a little photo session. It was such a grand idea. Should have thought it through a little better. It was the four kids and myself, all dressed up, for an outdoors photography session. By the time, we got to our location, Parker was totally disheveled, wrinkled and ready to play, not sit and smile. Anna was hot and not cooperative. Carter was hungry and very adolescent. And Jacob, he was aggravating Parker every chance he got. I seriously thought I was going to go nuts and the poor photographer...I am surprised she didn't say, "never mind." It was so hot and the kids were so not in the mood. I just hope there are a few good ones. But, thankfully, the photographer is super nice and sweet and was so gracious and willing to do whatever to make it work. She definitely earned her money that day. Hopefully, we will get them back this coming Friday and I will be able to post some good ones. I sure hope so, cause I hate the thoughts of having to do that again!!
After we got home, I took Anna out in the yard for a few snap shots. These are a few of my favorites.
She makes this face when "she thinks" she is being funny
We are so blessed to have our family. I cannot imagine not having Anna in our lives. When I think about how easily we could have missed out on this blessing, it just makes my chest hurt. How many times does God want to bless us and we reject Him? The journey was not easy and it took God's strength and faith in Him to make it, but I would do it again in a heart beat. What He calls us to do, He will supply all the strength, resources and means to accomplish His will. The method of His provisions may not be in the way we expect or even desire, but there is always a lesson or another blessing in the ways that He sees fit to provide. I had to learn a few lessons in pride but in those lessons, I was so touched by those who desired to help us bring our daughter home. I know that God not only blessed us with the means to bring Anna home, but I know that He will bless those who blessed us.
Undeservingly, we were blessed again with another precious child. We are so grateful and humbled by His mercies and blessings upon us. I hope that our family can be an encouragement to others to seeks God's will in adoption for their family. There are so many children throughout the world that need and deserve a loving family. It is our prayer that what God has done in our lives will somehow help another child, even if only one, find their family. I am so thankful that Anna found her's.
So blessed to be a mother to four and sending love from Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna.
