Happy Easter!

Happy Resurrection Day, from our family to yours!

Hope you had a blessed day, celebrating because our Savior is RISEN!

Anna's New Endeavor

My beautiful 11 year old daughter, Anna, has started a new blog called "Heart of Missions"!!! This is something she has wanted to do for a long time. I'm so proud of her!

She is handcrafting items to sell in order to help different missions. Her first mission to support is for our dear friend, Max, missionary to his native people in Ukraine. I intend to do a much more involved blog post about my time in his city while I was in Ukraine.  But for now, please check out THIS POST on Anna's blog to find out more about his ministry and specifically, the new building to support orphans who are "aging out" of the system. Normally, these kids are destined to a life of crime, drugs, prostitution and suicide, but this building and ministry seek to break the cycle and give hope to these teens.

Here are the first few items Anna has for sale to raise funds for Max. Please check them out and leave her a comment. More items will be added soon, so be sure to come back. Thank you so much!

"Anti-Depression Kits"



Cotton Potholders - This is one of many different beautiful color combinations

Celebrating WDSD!

Last night we went to Monkey Joe's (bouncy house place) to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day with our local Down syndrome support group.

We all had fun, and even took some pictures! :)

Miss Grace wasn't too sure about the loud, crazy, and brightly colored place at first, but our sensory seeker quickly figured out how much fun she could have.

Elijah remembered going last year and had no fear!

Yeah, she really was this red. Playing too hard! lol

Anna and Jonathan

I (Sarah) was looking at my blog the other day and realized that the only picture I have of Grace and myself was from the orphanage and she was bald. So we took a new one. :)

Our Monkey Man is doing pretty well recovering from his surgery (a week today!). He has been drinking well, and was doing really well pain wise till the scabs came off. The past few days have been a little rough, but we'll get there.

"You mean I allowed to dive over this thing and land on my head??"

This is how all pictures of Grace going down the slide turned out. She LOVED it, and would not stop laughing, but always turned to the side coming down. lol

3-21 - Happy World Down Syndrome Day!

Today is World Down Syndrome Day!  3-21 for 3 copies of the 21st chromosome.

We love our three precious children with Down syndrome. We love you Grace, Elijah and Jonathan and are so proud of you!

Check out this wonderful video from IDSC celebrating Down syndrome!





And with my daughter's permission, I'm sharing her post from today. She's an amazing young lady and writer. I'm so proud of her! I couldn't agree with her more.  Please watch the video she posted as well.

What today is really about.

Today is World Down Syndrome Day!

March 21st, or 3/21, standing for 3 of the 21st chromosome.

I have three siblings with Down syndrome, and many other little friends with Down syndrome, all who I love to pieces.

But here's the thing.

I'm not here to tell you about how special people with Down syndrome are, and why we should celebrate them today.

Because I don't think today is about celebrating them.

I think today is about making a point of pointing out to people that people with Down syndrome should be accepted like everyone else.

When I see one of my siblings or one of my other little friends with Down syndrome, I forget in the every day that they have Down syndrome.

When I look at Elijah, I see Elijah, not my-brother-with-Down-syndrome. It's part of who he is, not something that makes him different than everyone else.

Obviously, there are doctor appointments, therapies, and challenges that come up because of their diagnosis, but even then it doesn't scream Down syndrome at me.

I don't think it's much different than when I see someone with blonde hair. I notice it, but not every time I look at them, and it's not what I think about when I look at them.

I'm not trying to take away from the fact they have blonde hair by not pointing it out to them, and I'm not trying to take away the fact someone has Down syndrome by not pointing it out to them.

Today is about acceptance. Accepting people with special needs for who they are, and not treating them different than anyone else.

I'm not saying not to be more patient and understanding when they don't behave perfectly, and I know with some things you have to take their diagnosis into account.

But, you don't have to constantly thinking about the fact they have Down syndrome, and treating them like it.

When we are out and about, yes, I still notice if there is an adult across the restaurant who has Down syndrome. But do I need to to go over with one of my siblings and introduce myself? Absolutely not. Sure, I'll smile at them if they smile at me as they walk by, or I'll say thank you and smile at them if they hold the door open for me. But I won't do anything more than I would do anyone else. I don't introduce myself and my sibling with Down syndrome to point out they are both the same and different than everyone else.

Acceptance.

If you see a woman who is a complete stranger with no hair, do you go up to them and tell them that your sister-in-law also had breast cancer? Or smile sympathetically at them and stare at their head? Why should it be any different with someone with Down syndrome?

Be patient, listen carefully if they try to talk to you, but don't act like they are different.

Because they are as different from people without Down syndrome as you are from me.

Do you the same face and body type as me? Nope, and they don't have the same one as you. You accept me for who I am, so accept them as who they are.

Happy World Down Syndrome Day!

Just in the nick of time...

We were all set to stay overnight at the hospital. Jonathan had eaten quite a bit of his baby food throughout the day, but he would not drink anything.  Pat brought the all of the kids to see him after supper and then had to run over to his mom's house for a bit with some of the kids. In the short time he was gone, Jonathan drank about 15 oz of fluid! Way to go Little Man! We (us, nurse, doc) decided it would be fine to bring him home.

By this time it was about 7:30pm.  The night nurse hadn't done discharges very often. :-)  It all went fine and we are HOME!!!  Jonathan was glad to be home and made a bee-line for the couch to bounce/bang to get his "vestibular stimulation" for the day, and then off to bed!  He fell asleep right away.

Thanks for the prayers!  Praying tomorrow goes well too.  G'nite!

Jonathan Surgery Update

Jonathan's surgery went very well!  His tonsils and adenoids were huge (no surprise) and for the first time in his life, he's sportin' two ear tubes.  Previously, his left ear canal was too small to get a drainage tube in. His ear canals are now the size of a one year olds.  Both ear drums had sticky, thick fluid behind them, so Dr P cleaned them out and put the tubes in. Once he heals, I expect him to be a whole new kid!

For those of you know Elijah and Jonathan, you know how different their personalities are. (News flash! Kids with Ds DO have different personalities. :-) They aren't all happy all the time. Lol)  Anyway, recovering from surgery is very different too. Elijah drank and drank water, and watched videos 30 seconds at a time until demanding a new one. Jonathan?  We've got him to take 2 sips of water before he fell asleep again.  He was groggy and now I think this is his (early) afternoon nap.

So, for now, I'm enjoying the quiet and reading news articles about Ukraine. It remains to be seen if we'll get home tonight or not.

Thanks so much for praying and please continue to do so for his full recovery! God bless you today as you go about your day.

In post-op recovery - still sleepy

Upstairs in Peds...waiting for him to wake up!

Pray for Ukraine and Jonathan Medical/Surgery Update

Please pray fervently for Ukraine! Tomorrow (Sunday) Crimea is voting on whether or not to become part of Russia.The ramifications of this are huge of course...Mama Tanya and Papa Igor are on my heart...praying for them...praying for Kostya S, our friend and Summer's son-in-law that we met a few months ago in Ukraine - he still lives in Crimea....and of course for the orphans in Crimea - remember Russia has banned adoptions to the USA - what could this mean for the babes that are still in Elijah's old orphanage or in the institutions??? American missionaries in Crimea? The world-wide political ramifications are huge as well of course.

Please pray for the unity and peace of Ukraine!!!!



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For quite awhile I've been meaning to do a medical update on each of our adopted children. I just haven't taken the time. Elijah and Grace are both doing well. Elijah recovered well from his surgery <2 :-="" absent="" ago="" an="" and="" certain="" chubbin="" cure="" doing="" foods.="" gagging="" great="" have="" he="" hear="" his="" i="" is="" men="" months="" most="" nbsp="" nicely.="" of="" on="" p="" puking="" quite="" race="" s="" seemed="" to="" tonsils="" up="">
Sometimes when you adopt, you think the babies will be the easy ones. Ha!  Jonathan came home a week before his 1st birthday.  While his attachment issues seem to have been a non-issue, his oral sensory/feeding issues have not been.  I know it could be SO much worse, but feeding issues can be all-consuming at times and very frustrating.  Both of the boys started seeing an AWESOME feeding/speech therapist, Sally, last fall.  I learned more from her in their 2 hour eval than I did in 2 years of Birth-3 therapy. It's a 70 mile round trip drive but SOOO worth it.  Grace has started seeing her now too, and I was amazed at how well she got Grace to cooperate and try to mimic sounds.

Anyway, back to Jonathan.  The "Chunky Monkey" is no longer "chunky". He has lost 7+ pounds since late last fall.  Thankfully, he had extra to lose but it is just so wrong to see his ribs and skinny thighs. :-( (His cheeks still look chubby due to his low muscle tone in his face.) He also has increased his "poking" he does on his throat. His teachers at school have seen the increase as well. He's been doing this for almost 2 years, but it is now always on his left side of his neck in the same place.  He had a video swallow study done a few weeks ago, and it was normal. Sally thought it was his tonsils and adenoids as he also does this weird thing with his mouth too.  So, off to the ENT we went. (Oh yes, we are very frequent visitors to our local ENT...)  Jonathan even "cooperated" and did his throat-poking thing in front of the ENT. He thought it was tonsils too. The Dr even managed a look at his throat and his tonsils were stage 3+ out of 4. (The weight loss can be from tonsils/adenoids issues.)

Soooo, Monday, our dear little "Skinny Monkey" will follow his big brother in having his tonsils/adenoids removed, and maybe an ear tube or two just for fun. (The ENT, Dr. P, will look at his ears while under sedation and see what he needs. His left ear canal has always been too narrow to place a tube, so we'll see if he's grown at all.)  Do you think the surgery center will give us a discount for frequent visits?  LOL

So, please pray for Jonathan on Monday if you think of him.  Specifically, please pray for his desire to drink after surgery. He often resists drinking anyway, and can be so so so stubborn when he doesn't want to.  Also, please pray for his weight to come back on after surgery as well. He really is just too thin right now.  I'm also hoping and praying this will lead to a breakthrough in his desire to eat, try new, textured foods and self-feed.  Oh, that would be miraculous! It'd be nice to not stay in the night in the hospital too.

Thank you so much!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

So, when is Round 3 coming???  Oh yes, our dear little Grace. I've heard her pauses while sleeping. I've only seen her tonsils a few times - mostly when she is upside down being tickled. While that may not be the most accurate way to assess tonsils, the fact they were touching, yes touching, was a bit concerning. It's also a bit concerning to think about going through this all with her. She might need the "sleepy juice" when we walk in the door. (She flipped out at the chiropractor yesterday. I know, he's so scary.) Poor girl though....I can't help but think what her medical experiences were like at the institution...I know she had a ton of chest x-rays as they gave them to us. Beyond that...no idea. So sad...

He still amazes me...

(PLEASE continue to pray for Ukraine!!!  Please pray especially for families that have passed court in Crimea and need to get their children OUT!)

Elijah never ceases to amaze me.  The culture of his birth country says he can't learn. Children with Down syndrome can't do anything...they are hopeless.  Well, I'm here to tell you that is SO not true!  (But if you are reading here, you already knew that. :-))

Elijah had a little friend in the orphanage named Toma.  Thankfully he was adopted about the same time as Jonathan was - about 6 months after Elijah came home. About 11 months after Elijah had been home, I was showing him a picture of Toma on his mama's blog, just to see what he would say. I just about fell over when Elijah started pointing at the screen and yelling, "Toe! Toe!"  Yes, he recognized him and could now partially articulate his name. (He had almost zero speech in the orphanage.)  It still gives me goosebumps when I think about it.

Well, then there was today.  Another little sweetie, Pasha, from his grouppa has also been adopted. He's been home less than year I believe.  Sarah is friends with Pasha's mom on Facebook.  She posted a picture of Pasha, and just for fun I showed it to Elijah, not expecting any response.  I immediately teared up when Elijah pointed and said, "Pas! Pas!"  (He can't say the /sh/ sound yet.) 

I asked, "Pasha?".  

"Yes, Pas," Elijah says. 

Yes, he remembered Pasha.  I'm floored.  He has been home 3 years and 2 1/2 months!  I'm still amazed.  This kid is so stinkin' smart and has a memory like a steel trap.  This is also a strong reminder to me that he remembers the not-so-good part of his orphanage life too - whatever that may have looked like.

Lord, help me to remember that all of my precious Ukrainian treasures have a "before". Give me wisdom in parenting them and to help them with their deep hurts. Lord, please reach down into their hearts and heal their emotional wounds. Thank you, Jesus.

(I'll try to get to some medical updates very soon!)

Happy 9th Birthday GRACE!!!

(Thank you to everyone who has been praying for Ukraine.  The violence in Kyiv has been resolved (for now), but I'm sure you have all heard that Russian troops have invaded Crimea - the Crimean Peninsula that sticks down into the Black Sea. This is the area Elijah is from and his birth parents still live there. Please continue to pray for peace, unity and democracy for Ukraine!!!)

Our spunky Ukrainian princess turned NINE years old today.  Her first birthday with a family!  We are so blessed and thankful she is part of our family!!! We are growing to love her more and more each day.

We celebrated her birthday on Sunday with family and a few special friends.

"Olena" was a whole lot easier to write in Russian/Ukrainian than "Grace" is! Lots of pink and purple at the party for our girly girl! 

One cupcake and candle for each year she has missed being in a family, plus #9 for this year of course. She was excited!

When Elijah first came home, he had almost a whole year's worth of birthdays he had witnessed before his b-day in Sept. He had the blowing candle thing down by the time his turn came around. Grace boasts the first birthday of the year for our family, so she hasn't any practice blowing out candles yet.  She definitely had the right idea, but isn't not quite strong enough yet.

Elijah helped her out. :-)  The cupcakes were GF, the cake wasn't.

All of my other kids got messy on their "first" birthdays. We let her too! She loved it and chewed it pretty well.  

Grace with a few of her birthday gifts
She LOVES, absolutely LOVES to brush hair. She now has 2 dolls she can brush all day. Her little/big sisters are happy about this as it will save a few snarls pulled from their heads. :-)

The gorgeous quilt was a gift from a friend of my mom's.  So beautiful, and she is very talented too.

We are so grateful to all who took time out of their busy weekend to come and celebrate Grace's birthday with us!  We are thankful for all of the gifts, but especially the love you have shown our newest daughter, and us as well. We are so blessed. Thank you!!!

Urgent Prayers Needed for Ukraine!

I ask you all to please stop what you are doing and pray for Ukraine right now. Violence has escalated and dozens were killed today in Kyiv. 1000+ people injured. They are standing up for freedom. Please pray for the country, for peace and for freedom.  I can't tell you how important this is!

Also, please pray for my friend, Shelly, still in Ukraine finishing up her adoption and my friend, Stephanie, that is with her. They need to travel to Kyiv to finish up. Oh my... Please pray!!!

My heart is also heavy for all my friends in Ukraine, both American and Ukrainian. Please pray for them as well.

Keep up to date on the events in Ukraine HERE.  There are many EuroMaidan facebook pages too. I just found this article by the NY Times.

Thank you for praying! The Lord is faithful!