Tomorrow is Asher's Gotcha Day!

Hey there!

We are here in Guangzhou safe and sound.  Arrived at our hotel at 8pm Saturday night, took showers and headed out for a late dinner at a very fancy restaurant..... McDonald's.

I know, fly across the globe and end up a McD's. But it was late and dark outside, and we had no idea where else to go!

But after spending today (Sunday) exploring, we have a better sense of direction.  We did some shopping, people watching and checked out the unusual things for sale at some shops.  All of the walking helped to keep the jet lag away. But the jet lag is hitting all of us hard so everyone is ready to call it a night.

So, tomorrow is THE day!  We will leave to pick up Asher at 1:45 Monday afternoon. That will be 1:45AM Monday morning back home.

Can't wait!

Hope all is well.

Claire

A bitter sweet month

Not sure that I have fully processed the past month.  I lost my mom on June 5th to leukemia, and received our travel approval to bring Asher home a few days later.

My head has been very foggy and my hear is torn between missing my mom so very much, and being so excited to finally bring our little boy home.

But, I know that my mom would want me to embrace Asher's homecoming, she was always so supportive of us adopting, and all of her grand kids biggest cheerleader.

She was the consummate grand mom, and a great mom.  I will take all of the things she taught me about unconditional love and being selfless and pour into our new little man.

So, armed with a of those wonderful things...I fly out to bring home little man on July 5th!

End of school year update!

                                            

Well,  I really have NO idea where to start.  Things have been crazy @ here, more so then usual.

/Praying things will slow down a bit this summer, but with Asher coming home in a few months...I seriously doubt it!

With that, and before another issues arises...I will try and do a brief update of what has be going on @ here.

Michael.... GRADUATED from high school!  Can not believe my first born is 18, and off to college. Thankfully he won't be moving out just yet.  He has deferred his admission to UCF so that he can pursue an internship with Faith In Action in Guatemala next spring. He will attend a smaller college really close to home ...yeah me!... and live at home while saving money for the internship. We are so excited to see where God will lead Michael, and so proud of how Michael is listening to God's call.

Olivia...  is just days away from finishing her sophomore year.  She is headed to Guatemala to do a mini internship there this summer.  I can see the day that she packs up and goes for the long haul, but thankfully she has 2 more years of high school!  She is biding her time practicing photography and Spanish.  She is an amazing young lady, and one of my favorite hippie people ever.

Kira...well, thankfully I can say that things are going much better with her. She seems to have settled in a bit more, and learning how it is to be in a family.  Learning that you do not have to worry about your safety, food or possessions here.  She is really starting to embrace her role as a sister, and has said that she loves being here, home.  We will be doing some counseling this summer, she has somethings that she needs to process and put in the past.  She has so many wonderful qualities, she is so helpful, so smart and very happy despite her past treatment.  Lets just say that it is a VERY good thing that I did not know... what I know now.... on gotcha day.  Would have had to open up a can of mama bear on a certain orphanage worker.  But, she is strong. And learning what a treasure she is to God, and us.

Hudson....what can I say? This guy is a party boy!  He lives to play with friends and loves to eat!  He has grown over 4 inches this year, and gained over 10 pounds.  He is funny, charming and has a sweet heart.  He is also pretty sarcastic for a 9 year old, and his sisters do not always appreciate his sense of humor.  He is doing really well health wise, and we are looking forward to the next year as he also settles in more and more.

Logan...my sweet boy.  He is so easy going, and has worked so hard at school this year.  He is a ravenous reader and loves science. He is also our natural athlete, and chomping at the bit for football to start next fall.  He has been so good about having Hudson come along and take over half of his room and belongings, there are some normal brother fights..but we can not complain... Logan usually takes the high road and walks off.

Mia...oh my sweet girl.  This year was really hard for her.  Two new siblings and kindergarten. A lot of changes for my girl who THRIVES on routine...actually monotony.  Those first few months of school were touch and go. But God is good, He gave her a fantastic teacher.  Mrs. S just took Mia along side and has guided her through the this school year like her one of her own.  Mia has blossomed socially and come to love school.  She is sooooo stinkin smart, reading on a 2nd grade level and loving math. 

Sophia...well, despite being one of the easiest children on the planet, she has had a rough year health wise.  She had a really bad reaction to a blood transfusion back in Nov.  That led to a long hospital stay and an on again..off again infection with too many trips to the ER.  She was back in the hospital in May, but so far...doing great now.  She will be headed to kindergarten in the fall.  I am SO not ready for her to go, but she is! She loves art and playing on the big kids playground...they have been playing there the past few weeks while in pre-K class.  We are amazed at how she just takes things in stride, and smiles that amazing smile that lights up our life.

And, coming home soon!!!!  Asher!  We are hoping to travel in July and can not wait to get to know his personality and watch him in the mix @ here.  We received an update from China a few weeks ago.  He is 29 pounds and 38 inches tall.  He loves to play with everyone and is a good sleeper.... YES! 

So, as the school year winds down..all is well.  Hope the same is true for you and yours.

Finally!

....We have chosen a name for little man!

Given we are waiting for our letter of acceptance from China, we got out a piece of paper and had a good old fashioned family vote.

Sorry to say that a few of the kids favorites did not make it. I can't name my son Orange, Butterfly or Dude.

Levi and Elijah were strong contenders. We loved them, but wanted something a little lighter. All of my Irish names were voted down.

So, after much amusing discussion...we are naming our little man Asher Andrew Taylor. I can not wait until he is home and in the mix!

Is it really 2012?!

Logan-

Michael-

Hudson-


Kira-


Livy-


Little man-


Mia and Sophia-

Wow!
I say this every year, but I really mean it..... where did it go?
I think " it" went by me somewhere on I4 as we drove to many, many medical appointments this year.
But all is good. the kids are doing really well. All are settled into a good routine and thriving.
Kira received her prosthetic leg right after Christmas, and is now doing PT twice a week to strengthen her muscles, and correct old habits from how she used to walk.
I would love to say that this was a wonderful experience, and that she met it with arms wide open. But that would be a total lie. This was one of the hardest things I have done as a parent.
But doing the right thing is not always the easy thing. There were many tears and many moments of poor attitudes..on both of our parts.
I think she is finally seeing that we did what had to be done out of love, and wanting what was best for her.
She is so smart and very out going. It will be awesome to see where God takes her this year.

Our other newest kiddo, Hudson, is doing great. He came home in rough shape too. Pretty malnourished and with extremely high blood iron levels. He had the beginnings of organ damage, but through the great medical care he has been given..his iron levels are coming down. He has grown 4 inches and gained almost 10 pounds since last May.
He is extremely social and very affectionate. He was ready for his family.

Our "old" kids are doing really well too. Michael was accepted the The University of Central Florida and is excited to see where this new chapter takes him.

Livy is still our soccer girl and is fine tuning her photography skills. Thankfully she has a few years left in high school, it will take me a bit to get used to having a kiddo in college.

Logan is a hoot, he is just a total joy. Full of life, ready for any challenge and just a sweet kid.

Mia headed off to kindergarten this year. I can't believe it, she was just a baby a few months ago. She is still tiny and pretty shy..but so sweet, smart and working hard at trying new things.

Sophia is probably one of the most laid back kids on the planet. She goes with the flow, loves to tag along after her big brothers and sisters and still loves to snuggle.

We are still paper chasing for our last China kiddo. Things never go as planned, but we are hoping to have our dossier in China next week, and hoping to travel before summer.

We are still trying to decide on a name, so he is little man for now. He turned 3 in September, and we are so thankful to know that this was his last Christmas without a family.

We are really excited to bring little man home, and so blessed to be able to watch our children grow. Physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Excited to see what this year will bring.

Fall festivites

Fake fall fire going

Halloween cuties

Sophia's pre-k class party

Mia's K character day party

Prefect weather for a play doh party

Post op update

Well, it has been 2 weeks and 3 days since Kira had her surgery.

She had her right ankle and foot amputated. The doctor was able to go a lot lower down her leg then originally thought, so this is great news for her. We also learned that she will have a much easier time with her prosthetic leg, given her knee and hip joint have full range of motion.

There were a few very tough days after surgery. She felt terrible from the pain meds, and was depressed about loosing her foot.

I was getting worried about her on the second evening. Thankfully we were given the ok to go home on the 3rd day. Bart came with the liile kids to bring us home.

Once home and back in the chaos, she perked up. And once she was done with the meds, she did a 180.

She has mastered her walker, and is actually back at school!

She had her first post op check today, and everything looks great. We will go back in 2 weeks to have one more pressure dressing applied and hopefully start the fitting process for her new lower leg!

Claire