Happy First Birthday, Jonathan!!!

The Lord has blessed us in AMAZING ways so Jonathan was HOME for his first birthday!  He turned ONE last week.  So awesome!  It is pretty rare an orphaned child in Ukraine is in their forever home before they turn one. We count this as an incredible miracle. Thinking back over the past 3 1/2 months, it blows my mind how the Lord worked to get him home so quickly. Our court hearing naming us as Jonathan's legal parents was exactly one day shy of 3 months from the day we found out that we lost Noah. 3 months...when the Lord wants to move, HE MOVES!

Let's review how HE did this - not how we did it. God gets all the glory for this! (I know you want to see birthday photos, just scroll down and come back - this is important! :-))

The timing of Elijah's post-placement report on the day we found out about Noah, working with our new facilitator that was willing to keep up with the speed at which we wanted to go, awesome support from our homestudy agency for a speedy quick homestudy update, favor in obtaining dossier documents, Luke fetching our apostilled documents from the Sec of State office in Madison, Max hand carrying our dossier over, a travel date issued from the SDA a shocking week "early", being able to visit Jonathan for the first time on a Saturday, the city social worker coming back to the office 2 days early, court on a Saturday instead of waiting out the holiday until the following Wednesday, red one-day passport and everything else that needed to happen on Gotcha Day (oh ya, I still need to post about that, don't I??? LOL), and smooth sailing at the embassy.  Whew! TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!! We were home with 5 days to spare before his birthday. :-)

Ok, on to the photos! The lucky boy got 2 little birthday parties. One on his birthday, and the second one after church with the Gibsons (other family and friends couldn't make it).

On his birthday:

His shirt says "I'm the Birthday Boy" :-)
Yes, Elijah and Rachel still adore him. Praise God for that!

 

He loves his oatmeal baby cereal! He improves with his eating each and every day. I'm finding out  his "ability to move the food to the back of his mouth and swallow is directly dependent on if he likes the taste of it or not...hmmmm....

Elijah sat well on my lap while I fed him. But look where Little Miss Monkey is....

Yes, this is the same bowl I'm feeding Jonathan out of!

Guess she still likes the baby cereal!!!  Lil' turkey!

"Happy Birthday to me!"

"Yep, I'm total cuteness!"

And yes, Rebekah has as much personality as it looks like here. :-)

Oh, remember this cute guy? :-)
He now says "CHEEZZZE" when we say smile!

Elijah wasn't diggin' the cake and ice cream though. I ate it for him. LOL

Jonathan is simply adored by all of his siblings.

Second birthday party!

Ben practicing to be an uncle! :-)

Jake practicing to be a DAD! He'll be an awesome one!

Elijah enjoyed the very delicious cherry cheesecake from Jake and Ashley's benefit much more than the other cake. Don't blame him! It was wonderful!

Jonathan checking out his very first birthday present from Auntie Debbie and Pastor Dan. Thank you so much!!!

But there is something else VERY significant about this last photo. Can you tell what it is? Go ahead and look, I'll wait. :-) Don't see it? Really, it's what you don't see that is significant. Nothing is holding him up while he is sitting there!!! Anna was very close to catch him in case he toppled, and he did eventually. But this is HUGE!  Just one month ago, he still had head control problems and was not anywhere close to being able to sit even with minimal support. Truly amazing what love, stimulation and not laying on a hard wooden playpen day in and day out can do for a little guy. Hmmm...imagine that....

And just to leave you with a little Elijah fun! Auntie Debbie had put of those (I can't remember what they are called) things that you blow into to make the paper unroll on top of Jonathan's present. We gave it to Elijah to try. At first he sucked it like a straw, but after we showed him to blow out, he was doing well with it!  WAy too cute!!! Well, pretty quick the end got pretty mushy, as it didn't have a plastic tip on it. Here he is trying to blow it with a mushy end. :-)

Daddy trimmed the end off for him. Success!!!!

Eyes of a Child - Andrei Needs YOUR Help!

This is a repost from my friend, Stephanie's blog. If you remember, she adopted Theo and Zhen from Elijah's orphanage last summer. This post is about a young man that remember seeing at the church (founded by American missionaries) we attended in Simferopol while adopting Elijah. The missionaries were a HUGE HUGE blessing to me, especially when I couldn't be home on Christmas. They welcomed Debbie and me into their homes and made us feel like family. I'm forever grateful. The pastor's wife shared with me the same story about Andrei that Stephanie shares below. Absolutely heartbreaking. Please pray for them and please pray about helping this precious family out financially.

Since I'm about a week behind on getting this posted, there is only a week left to help Andrei and the need is great. I know the fee just to apply for visa to come to the US is $140 per person. Often, $280 (or less) is one month's salary for an adult in Ukraine. And no, I'm not kidding...this is a huge financial burden for this family, but I know they would do anything to help their son retain some of his vision. Wouldn't you? The link to donate is below.

From Stephanie:

In the eyes of a child there is joy, there is laughter
There is hope, there is trust, a chance to shape the future
For the lessons of life there is no better teacher
Than the look in the eyes of a child

On occasion you will hear me complaining about Zhen's eyes. Seriously, why couldn't the orphanage arrange to have his cataract removed when he was a baby? Then his vision could have developed normally as he grew. The sad truth is that in Eastern Europe, babies with disabilities just don't get the medical care that they need.

Then I stop whining. And I'm thankful. For I remember a bright and beautiful boy that I met at church in Ukraine last summer. Meet Andrei...(Jill's note: He has the voice of an angel too!)

About two years ago, Andrei was having some problems with his eyes. His parents took him to an eye specialist in Kiev who recommended laser surgery! Cool huh?


After the laser surgery was performed, the doctor came out to talk to the family and said... "Oops, we made a mistake and your son is now blind in that eye". (Can you even imagine?! The word "malpractice" comes to my mind.) The doctors did not operate on the other eye at the time, (thank God!) but said that it would need surgery in the future.


Over the course of the next two years, Dema and Marina, Andrei's father and mother, home schooled Andrei because the doctor said that a blow to the head or a fall could make him permanently blind. Now, I ask you, is that any way for a young boy to live, in fear of getting bonked on the head or falling down? No rough housing with his little brother? No running?


Now Andrei is now down to 50% vision in his one good eye.

 

What a nice looking family! Andrei's father leads the singing at church and teaches young adults. His mother is the church pianist. This photo is a couple of years old.

Last Friday, Andrei was having some problems with his eye and so the doctor wanted to take his eye out (!!!) and coat with silicone to help preserve the eye. Well, instead of that (sheesh!) we would like to get Andrei to the United States as quick as possible so that the doctors here can work on him. Marina had an appointment today at the US embassy in Kiev and thankfully, she was able to get the visas they need to leave Ukraine right away.

In a couple of weeks Andrei and his mother will travel to Chicago. A doctor there believes that he can help save his one good eye. A nearby church has agreed to host mother and son for one month while Andrei receives treatment. The good doctor cannot treat Andrei for free, but he will reduce his fee. What a great opportunity!

In keeping with our mission to improve the lives of children in Crimea, Project TLC  would like to assist this family with their expenses. We will dedicate contributions received over the next two weeks in order to preserve what is left of Andrei's limited eyesight.

The total projected need is at least $2000, so please share this far and wide, and donate as you are led. Please click HERE to donate.





Or you may send your gifts to:


His Kids Too!
219 – B Delta Ct.
Tallahassee, FL 32303


*note Project TLC on check memo

God bless you!

Urgent prayer request for the Warner Family!

Pictures are coming soon, I promise! We are doing well, but I wanted to share this (snagged it from Sarah's blog) as the prayer need is URGENT!!!! Please pray!!!!


PLEASE REPOST AND SHARE - Spread the word for the need of this special family!!! STORM HEAVEN for this family! Everything imaginable is going wrong, and they need PRAYER!

Joshua (Cliff on RR) and his Mama

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By Christie

 Lisa Warner is landlocked in the Ukraine. She and her husband traveled overseas to ransom a child and bring him home. Fundraising was ALWAYS a struggle for the Warner's. I am begging you now, for all you know, to share this story and donate ANY AMOUNT to their FSP.

Joshua, their son, is sick. The Embassy doctor will not release him for travel. She believes he has pneumonia--however, she will NOT treat him for pneumonia and neither will any other doctor they have seen because they do not believe he has pneumonia.

They contacted the CDC with the xrays and doctor's reports they have---CDC is giving the doctors a few options. Wait it out (6-8 weeks and retest) or surgically obtain sputum samples to test of TB and risk Joshua's life.

The Warner's are in a very precarious situation. Lisa's sister was found deceased in her apartment by Lisa's mother. Lisa's mother has been caring for their other young boy, Jacob, at home in Michigan.

It is very likely Lisa and Dave will allow the surgical procedure to test for TB and rule it out. This is not an easy decision, nor is it safe for Joshua. The doctor who refuses to let them leave has said she does not want to do this test because it puts Joshua in danger. The doctor is consulting with her team but will ultimately leave the decision up to Lisa and Dave.

They need funds. I would love to see $6,000 more raised for their FSP. Dave has been without income for over a month now. Dave could lose his job over all of this. I pray that does not happen; but it is a real fear and one that needs prayers.

I have nothing to offer you, nothing to entice you with. No fancy cameras. No iPad. No Kindle. Nothing except the comfort in knowing you have helped bless the Warner's in a much needed manner.

You can donate directly to their FSP here http://www.reecesrainbow.org/sponsorwarner  

You can follow Lisa's blog at BUILDING OUR VILLAGE 

Please do anything you can, share, donate, PRAY.

There are literally stranded in a foreign country with little assistance at this point.

~Christie~

"I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron. I will give you hidden treasures, riches stored in secret places, so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name." Isaiah 45:2-3 (NIV)

Lisa wrote this on her blog today-

"Please pray for us. Please pray for my mom who I love with all my heart and it is killing me not be able to comfort her. Please pray for Jacob who today decided not to eat. I fear that my mom's overwhelming sadness is evident to Jacob that something is not quite right. Please pray for Joshua and that God watches over him. I cry for Dave who today was inconsolable, I cry for my mom who was inconsolable, I cry for my Dad who misses his first born, I cry for my children who are far from me that I am not there to comfort them, I cry for Joshua that this promised life for him has not come to fruition yet, I cry for myself because I miss my sister and because I have no idea what to do for any of them. 

I am going to allow anonymous posts with moderator approval because if I get one person posting how Joshua might not be my son when we have to make the biggest decision as his parents for the first time, my head will explode. Thanks for listening and letting me cry... :("

Homecoming Pictures!!!!

Well, I do plan to post photos of my whirlwind trip, but for now, here are some AWESOME photos that Ashley took at the airport of our homecoming. (It really rocks to have a professional photographer as a dear friend!!!)

As you may remember, Elijah, Debbie and I didn't have the big "homecoming" experience. Our flight from O'Hare to Appleton was cancelled, so we arrived home at 12:30AM under the cover of darkness early on December 31st. I was very disappointed, and felt like I didn't have any "closure" from one part of the journey to the next. So, that's why I put an open invitation out for anyone to come if they wanted to. I was completely overwhelmed by all of the love and support we received!!! I'm so humbled and yet so very grateful!!! I can't say thank you enough. :-)

Isaac and Rebekah waiting patiently

Anna, Rebekah, Isaac, Sarah and her friend, Rachel watching for the plane

Rachel and Grandma (my mom)

Ben  holding Elijah with my plane in the background
I felt so bad I didn't even look out the plane window to see the signs and everyone waiting. I was too concerned about getting Jonathan strapped into the Ergo and getting off the plane. But maybe it was best I didn't look so I wasn't a total blubbering mess walking out. :-)

Elijah and Daddy

Waving to the kids as Rachel started running towards me and was stopped by the security guard as she entered the "secured area". :-)

Rebekah checking Jonathan out up close and personal

Yes, baby, we made it home! You are now an American citizen!

He had is own very special "parade"!!!
I saw this shirt and just couldn't resist getting it for him. :-)

Family of NINE!!!

Ya, I still can't wrap my head around that one, but thanks to Sarah for suggesting we get this photo instead of waiting until who knows when to have one taken. 

The whole group!!! WOW!!! It was a blast!
L to R: Ashley (gave up her camera for one photo), Rachel and Rebekah G, Mrs. S, Auntie Debbie, Ben, Jake,  Mr. S, Grandma Marilyn, Michelle Z, Pat with his gaggle of kids, Sarah w/ Elijah, Me w/ Rachel, Cathy (who has adopted 2 blessings from Liberia), Papa and Pastor Dan (who performed TWO weddings already that day!). Whew!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR EVERYONE WHO CAME! :-)

In his Daddy's arms!                      

GOD IS GOOD!!!

The Question Everyone is Asking...

Sarah here again... What do Rachel and Elijah think of Jonathan and how do they get along? I'll let the video and pictures speak for themselves! :)

He's so big, that he has to sit next to Rachel lest he squishes her flat!

Big Blue ROCKS!! :)
(Note from Jill - Yes, I know we need to adjust his carseat straps!)

Videos of His First Day Home!

Sarah here! Sorry, but I am going to interrupt your evening to show you some super cute videos I took of my brother's first day home! :D He was supposed to be napping, but was playing instead! :)









Note: Please pause the playlist at the bottom of the blog so you can hear the videos! And if you get posts via email, you will have to click the link "My God is Lord" below this to go to the blog to see the videos.

JONATHAN IS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN!!!!

Yes, that means we landed on American soil today!!! :-) Jonathan did great on the flight and the Lord provided many "angels" along the way to help me...cab driver, other adopting families (not all from RR) and a wonderfully sweet lady from Lithuania that spoke great English.  We had a GREAT homecoming celebration at the airport too! I'm so grateful for everyone that came out. Love you all!!!

Ok, I'm very tired and need to get to bed. Jonathan has been sleeping for awhile, so I should be too. The first few hours of transition went well too. More details on my whirlwind week coming in the next few days, including LOTS of photos!

Thanks again for everyone who has prayed us through this process the last 3 months and prayed us home. Please don't stop. :-)

Today's Embassy/consulate's visit went well

Well, Vanya decided to hang out with me for a bit longer before he leaves on the train to his next city. :-) So, while he works, I can use his computer for a bit!

Today at the US Consulate's office, I got all of my forms and documents submitted and ready to go.  I had to remind them that I needed to pay the second I-600 fee of $720 though. :-) He didn't mention it but I told him we had already used one approval on our I-171H and since the boys weren't biological siblings, I owed them another $720. It was the right thing to do. They would have caught it tomorrow and it may have delayed things, so it was best to just take care of it now.

The medical exam went MUCH quicker this time. It helped we didn't have to wait for 2 hours for the doctor to get out of a "meeting" like last time. It was still a joke, still costs $110, but hey...I gotta do what I gotta do to get out of here. :-)

So, tomorrow, I go back to the consulate's office at 2pm for the final visa processing. I know it will be a HUGE relief when I finally get it.  Then, the driver will pick me up at 2:45AM - yes you read that right - for our journey home. Please continue to pray all goes well, esp for J's ears on the plane.

Remember, Sat at 4pm at the Appleton airport - Lord willing. Hope to see you there! :-)

Hangin' Out

Just quick...we're in Kiev having breakfast. Train ride went well and Jonathan slept like a champ! Can't say the same for me, but that's normal for me on the train. Today we'll have our first embassy appt and then go get his joke of a medical exam done.  Then tomorrow we'll get his visa Lord willing and then HOME!!!! This will most likely be my last update. See ya there! :-)

Thanks for praying!

I GOT HIM!!!!

Today went great so far!!! Right now, we're hanging out at Vanya's apartment (since he conveniently lives in the same city as the passport office and the train station) while we wait to leave on the overnight train to Kyiv in a few hours. So, yes, that "we" is Vanya, me AND Jonathan!!!!! Our day went great with obtaining the court decree, his new birth certificate, closing out J's bank account and getting the one-day red passport! Praise God!!!! The Lord worked out all of the details with everything. He is SO good to us. Oh ya, the "Gotcha" part of the day went great too. We got photos of his crib and his play area, as well as group photos with the nannies and one with the director. The Lord also gave us favor with the director to let us see and take photos of one of the very special little ones here, so I'll be passing those on to his mama as soon as I get home.

Jonathan is doing well. He wasn't too crazy about his bottle at first, but managed to drink down 6 oz of it. Right now he's laying on the couch next to me, cooing and smiling at me. He's a little love. :-) I'm going to try and give him some cereal here in a bit before we get on the train, so I'd best sign off and get back to being a mommy. I'll post photos when I get home too.

Thank you to everyone for praying about this day. God is faithful and has blessed me tremendously today. Please continue to pray for a smooth train ride tonight, smooth processing at the embassy Thurs and Friday, and of course, a quiet, uneventful trip home with no cancelled flights! Love to you all!!!

(My flight over here went fine too. So far so good! :-))

I'm Leavin' on a Jet Plane...

...in just over 12 hrs from now! I can.not.wait to get back to hold Jonathan in my arms again. I have missed him dearly this last week. It's hard when my heart is in two places. But, on the other hand, it almost seems like those 3 weeks in June were a dream. I mean I have nothing here to show for it...but that will change!

Ok, it's late and I do need some sleep tonight, so I'm just going bullet point this.

Prayer requests:
- Uneventful flights there and back
- Smooth "paper chasing" on Wednesday for the court decree, the birth certificate, the PASSPORT! All it would take is for one "director" at one of the places to not be in to sign off on something to derail our fast track and we won't be home until Tuesday.
- A fun "Gotcha Day" on Wednesday! I have a couple of things to take care of at the orphanage, so please pray I'm granted favor for that as well.
- Peace for Jonathan as he leaves the only home he's ever known - that he would sleep and eat well and stay healthy.
- Wisdom for me as I parent him solo in a foreign country - so glad Vanya will be with me Wednesday and Thursday. :-)
- Smooth process in Kiev for the medical exam and visa processing
- Sleepy, quiet and cooperative baby :-) on the flights home and that the Lord would put the right person on the flight to help me if need be.
- Here at home: understanding for the kids as Mommy leaves once again, patience and endurance for my parents, the 3 "middles" start swimming lessons this week, Sarah going to Lifest, a fun 4th of July for the family and friends they'll be visiting, and a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ANNA!!! She will be 9 years old this week! I'm very sad to miss her birthday, but I know she will be surrounded by those who love her. I'm so proud of her for being so understanding!

Blog updates:
I'm NOT bringing the laptop with me as I would only have the potential to have internet a couple of days, plus it's heavy. I'm hoping Vanya will be able to email Sarah quick updates and she can post updates throughout the week. Gotcha Day photos will come when I get home. :-)

Homecoming:
All the "experts" tell adoptive parents to keep the airport homecoming thing low-key. I'm sure there is wisdom to that. BUT, since we got totally jipped out of the "homecoming" experience with Elijah, anyone who wants to give up part of their Saturday afternoon is more than welcome to join us!  Lord willing my plane will get in about 4pm. :-)

Attachment:
Just a quick note about this until I can explain it better at a later time. Jonathan does not know who his mama and dada are yet. He has always had revolving caretakers, not one single person to "attach" to. So, in an effort to help him understand who his mama and dada are, we will be making a conscious effort to limit who holds and feeds him to basically just Pat and I. We are so grateful to everyone who has loved and supported our family through this process and love you all. We feel this is the best thing for Jonathan at this point. Thanks for your understanding!  Tensey, who brought home Kirill from Russia, wrote a wonderful, thoughtful blog post about this here.

Names:
Typing Kirill's name above reminded me of something.  Jonathan's middle name is Kiril with one "L". It is his given name and we wanted to honor his heritage by preserving his given name as his middle name. In a way, I regret not doing that with Elijah, especially since we are in contact with his birth parents. Anyway, when translating the name from Russian, it is spelled with 2 L's. When translating it from Ukrainian, it is spelled with 1 L. Interesting, huh? Aren't you glad you read all the way down here to learn that little tidbit.

On that note, I'll sign off! Thank you again to everyone for your prayers, love and support for this final leg of our journey. We are beyond grateful! Love to you all!

Ripple Effect x2

This is one of those posts that is long overdue! I've had this on my list for 3 months, but I guess the last three months got a little crazy for me...go figure. So, Ashley and Juli, I hope you'll forgive me for my tardiness. Ok, not sure where to start...One of our prayers when we started this journey with Elijah was the Lord would use it for His Glory and would lay it upon the hearts of other families to start their own journey to adopt. Well, so far, two very special families have answered the Lord's call! Please know, this is NOT about what the Birschbachs did. This is about GOD and how He continues to pluck these orphans out of the evil one's stronghold and give these extra special children a FOREVER HOME! Praise Him!!!

The Gibson Family

As most of you know, last fall, our church held a HUGE benefit for us that raised the rest of our adoption expenses. We were and still are totally blessed by that. Jake and Ashley were a big part of making that day happen. Through following our journey to bring home Elijah, their eyes (well, at least Ashley's :-) - at first) were opened to the plight of children born in other parts of the world that are born with that extra special chromosome. Little did I know that Ashley fell in love for one little boy on RR the same month as our benefit. Well, as the Lord would work it out, Jake was looking through the RR website one day at work and fell for the same little boy!!! You can read his story here. Of course, there is much more to the story in between there, but the end result is that they are working towards bringing home a little honey whom they will name Carter (listed as "Antonio" on RR). He's really too cute!!! He just turned 3 the end of May, so Carter and Elijah are about 9 months apart in age. I know they are going to be double trouble wonderful playmates at church. LOL Can't wait to get them together!

Carter

Unfortunately, their adoption has been delayed by the SDA shutdown for about 3 months. (Praying it is less!)  That REALLY stinks. I know 3 months doesn't sound like a big deal, but let me tell you - it is!  When you have no idea how your child is doing, what his health concerns are, if he just lies in a crib all day, if his cries are being comforted, if he is being fed properly, if his diaper is being changed more than once a day, etc...all of those things add up and make a mama's and papa's heart HURT - BIG TIME!  So, please be in prayer for them, as well as all of the other families affected by this shutdown. And if you haven't already, please check out their blog and leave them an encouraging note. :-) Oh, they are having a benefit in a couple of weeks too. If you want more info, please email me or leave me a comment. I know it would mean so much to them if you came out and supported them - if you are local of course.

The Prevost Family

I first met Juli at Elijah's benefit last October. She had seen the article about Elijah and the benefit in our little local newspaper. She volunteered to give up a day away from her family to help raise money to bring Elijah home by selling products from her direct sales business and donating the profits! Unbelievable!!!  Little did I know that a few months later, she would be calling to tell me they were starting the process to bring home their little angel!  YAY!!! And GO GOD!!! :-) They are adopting a little boy from China that has that extra special chromosome too!   Please visit their blog HERE. Due to the rules of China and/or their agency, they are not allowed to post his picture on their blog. :-( But I saw his photo on RR before they committed to him, and he is a living DOLL! Very cute!  In fact, Ashley posted about Prevost family on her blog today. (That post inspired me to get this one done.) Thanks Ash!  Click on over to see their beautiful family.

The Prevosts have a big fundraiser coming up too. Golf anyone????  HERE is the link about their golf outing. If you are local, I do hope you'll consider attending to show your support for this wonderful family that is stepping out in faith. If you can't attend, leave them a comment. You have no idea how much just a note of encouragement can mean to an adopting family.

And do you remember when I was lamenting about their not being ANY children in our school district between ages 3 and 5th grade w/ Down syndrome? Well, that is going to change VERY quickly! :-) I love it!!!