First Day of School

Both boys started school on the same day this year, August 27, 2012.  David started First Grade and Michael started a Pre-K class at a local day care.  David rides the school bus to the day care for After School Care till Mama picks them up while Daddy drops them off in the mornings.

 

 

My new classroom & computer lab...

Wednesday afternoon, Chris, the boys and I visited my new campus and saw my classroom and computer lab.  The building is still under construction, so we weren't in there for long (less than 10 minutes total) because the boys were making a construction supervisor nervous!  It looks AWESOME!!!   I can't wait to see the room with all the stuff that is missing: computers, wall-mounted Smart Board, tables, washer/dryer, supplies, etc.  Here are some pictures that I was able to take before we left.

Looking down the room; notice the TILE FLOORING!!
(against the wall where the Smart Board will go; to my right is the main classroom door going to a main hallway)

One of FIVE kitchens that I will have

Some built in storage in the corner; not sure what is in the cabinets: tote trays/ shelves??

Looking down the room at the end where the first picture was taken
(standing in front of the 'back door' that leads to the side hallway)

Standing in the next to last kitchen, looking towards the windows that look into the computer lab

The computer lab.  The dividers can split the room in half, so that the Tech Ed teacher can use one part and I can use the other.  He has already told me that he is not really interested in using the computers often (if at all!).

Standing in the doorway from my room to the computer lab, looking into the computer lab.  Love all the windows!!

Shelving in my very large pantry/laundry room.  Huge room!!

Standing in the doorway to the pantry/laundry room.  Shelving is behind door, as well as on the wall to the left
(seen in picture above this one).

We've been Uber Busy!!!

I know that it has been a looooong time since our last post, but we have been very busy!

Here are some quick updates:

David started school on August 23 (same day Rachael went back to teaching at BDJH) and is doing pretty good (at least in our opinion!).  He can count to 20, knows his alphabet and can write them all, can write his first & last name correctly (first letter capitalized and the rest lower case), can identify shapes & colors and is starting to recognize some of the basic 'sight words' he is learning in school.  He is becoming more verbal (at least with us) and has gained weight and is getting tall! 

Michael stays home with Chris during the day and likes watching TV with Daddy (Sid the Science Kid, Word World & Dinosaur Train are some of his favs).  He gets to go with Daddy while taking David to school and picking him up in the afternoon, as well as any errands Daddy does during the day.  He is also more verbal and has gained weight (but hasn't gotten much taller).

They both like playing with their cars, blocks and 'reading' books, as well as tormenting Sheba.  They are very typical boys! 

We are still having some adjustments with following directions & answering/responding to questions, but even that is getting better.

We had our 6 month social worker visit and it went really well!  She was really impressed with how well the boys are doing (and how well we are doing as parents!).  The boys were able to answer her questions (what they weren't able to verbalize, they acted out or got the items: favorite toy, what did you have for breakfast, etc) since she had to have personal interviews with all four of us!  Our next visit will be in February, 2012 (the one year visit) then one a year for the next 2-3 years. 

Michael had his first ever dentist appointment in September and it went well.  David had one, but it didn't go as well.  He has another one scheduled for tomorrow with a different office.  Hopefully this one will go well and we can get his teeth checked. (He fought them when trying to get x-rays, and when they suggested that we take him someplace that can 'work with him', otherwise known as sedating him, to get the x-rays and bring him back to that office for any work needed, we said :No.  We will not be back with the boys!)

Their 6 month Adoption Check-Up is scheduled for later this month.  They will have more blood work done (to check and see if everything is still normal) as well as a standard visit with the doctor at Texas Children's.  If all goes well (good test results), they will be 'released' to a regular pediatrician.  We haven't found one yet, but thankfully they haven't been sick!  Praise God that they are healthy!



Summer School (such as it is...)

We have enrolled David into kindergarten for the fall.  Because of this, we have been working with him on an almost constant basis every day to get him ready (at least as ready as he can be).  He will be one of the younger ones in the class (his birthday is the second day of school this year), but we believe that he will do just fine.  We have already talked with the school counselor about him and his educational background (as much as we know about it and what we have observed) and she believes that he will do fine.  We are prepared to deal with any issues that arise as well as the possibility that he may have to repeat kindergarten and we are okay with that. 

In order to get him better prepared, David has been attending 'summer school' classes with Rachael.  They have been working on basic writing (holding the pencil correctly was a challenge at first!), numbers, colors, shapes, letters (both upper and lower case), visual discrimination activities, etc.  His basic fine motor skills are okay, but he does have a problem holding crayons correctly as well as staying within the picture while coloring.  Overall, we are impressed with his progress.  He may not be entirely on level with some of these basic skills, but he is getting there.  We don't think that anyone really worked with him prior to us, but he is doing well.

We allowed him to pick out some of the school supplies that he is working with right now, as well as some of the posters that now grace our dining room wall.  He has some really cool pencil grips that force him to hold the pencil correctly (even though he says that they hurt his fingers!) and is doing great!

Here are some pictures you may enjoy!

Ready for Summer School!

School Posters

More School Posters

David's Reward Chart

Michael's Reward Chart

School Work

School Work

School Work

School Work

School Work

School Work

School Work

Another Update

We have been really busy and it has been hard to find time to sit down and update our blog lately. 

Here are some highlights since the last post:

Rachael's last day at school was Friday, June 3 and she started summer school with David on Tuesday, June 7.  He is progressing slowly, but doesn't usually fight it.  We sit at the table after Michael goes down for his rest time/nap and work on worksheets, activities, games, coloring, cutting/pasting, etc.  We have several different bridge type workbooks (thanks Dad for them!) that we are working through.  We have now 'decorated' our dining room to look like a school room.  David has a pencil box with school supplies that he knows to get when it is time for school.  He still needs lots of work, but we think he will be ready by the time school starts.  Now that we have some cool pencil grips (he got to pick them out), he is getting better at controlling the pencil.  He can identify most of the basic shapes and colors (we are working from a list that the school gave us on what they expect incoming kindergartners to know), can count to ten (sometimes forgets the number 8) and can recognize some of the letters of the alphabet.  We are also working on his freehand stuff and coloring (doesn't seem to get the concept of staying in the lines; usually scribbles when he is supposed to color).

The boys had a follow-up doctor appointment on June 9.  We got the results of all the blood work that was done in April: all labs came back as NORMAL!!  No concerns (except that a thyroid test for Michael came back a bit 'off', but the doctor wasn't concerned; said that it was normal for the situation they came from) for right now.  The doctor wants to rerun some of the tests in October to double check, but expects that things will be normal then as well.  As of the day of the appointment, we didn't have the results of the poop tests, but since they haven't called to say that we need to redo the tests, I guess they got the results back.  We also found out that the immunizations that we were given the records for were valid.  The boys are current and up-to-date on all their immunizations (including the ones they got on the 9th).

Friday, June 10, the boys and I drove to San Antonio for a family birthday party.  My cousin Tara's second son's 3rd birthday party was on the 11th and we went to meet them and help them celebrate.  The boys and I had a great time (Chris stayed home because he had to work on the 11th).  They got to meet their cousins (George, Sammy and Michelle) as well as the parents (Alex & Tara).  Tara is my cousin on my dad's side and I haven't seen them in a while.  The boys got to swim for the first time in a real swimming pool (with the aide of life vests) and had a great time!  David loved the pool and swimming (once he figured out that the vest would keep him afloat) while Michael had more fun playing with his cousins and the toys.  They also got to experience their first pinata!  Once it was broken open, they were more interested in picking up the trash than picking up the candy!  I think it will take a while before they get the concept.....

Here are some pictures:

Taking a break from putting the toys away....

Everyone likes to sit with Daddy in his chair (too bad Mommy won't fit....)

David having fun in the pool

Michael had fun playing around the pool

Michael getting a 'push' from cousin Michelle

David was having too much fun in the pool, so he decided that he needed the floaty thing as well as the vest....

Michael's first swing at the Pinata

David's first swing at the Pinata

Cousins sitting still for about 10 seconds...
(starting on the left: George, Sammy, Michel, David)

First experience with Play-Dough!

Paperwork is in the mail

One of the Spanish teachers at school very kindly translated Chris' birth certificate from Spanish into English for us! Aren't teachers wonderful??

I got all the supporting documents ready, attached them to the I-600A application, clipped on the form to request an email when the documents are accepted and the check for the fees then put it all in an envelope to mail out this afternoon. It was sent out today at 3:30 pm to Lewisville, Texas via USPS Express Mail. It was so worth the $15.90 to mail it. They should have it tomorrow or Monday at the latest.

Now we wait.

I also sent the 1st installment of the Agency Fee to Buckner via regular mail (certified).

We are on our way....

Of course I did all of this in between classes (okay, some was done during a class) today. I have really great students this year!

Today we started talking about Families to get ready for the Children's Unit that starts week after next. When I was going over the different types of families, I kinda lost it a bit (okay, some classes it was more than a bit) when I got to the Adoptive Family. One of my students was asking questions and I just had to cry. Of course, that meant that the other students got mad at her for making me cry, but I just explained that it was good kind of crying. By the end of the day, nobody wanted to ask any questions in case I started crying again! Gotta love 8th graders!!

Chris and I found out about the 2010 Heritage Day coming up on the 24th at Tallowood Baptist Church. We are excited about attending and meeting other 'waiting families' as well as families that have already brought their children home.

January 29: Update

Since my last post, there hasn't been a whole lot of new stuff to report:

**Sold the baby blankets on Monday and deposited the check on the way home from their office. :)

**Meeting up with my dad on Saturday (while Chris is at work) morning to check prices and go over stuff for the Ham Fest on March 6. Worked on it this week and just need to get prices before figuring out how much of each item we need to purchase. They had about 800 people last year and Dad estimates around 1000 this year. I plan to get the one day food vendor permit application turned in late next week (have to wait till I get paid Monday).

**Waiting to get my passport in the mail. Hopefully it will be here soon.

**Chris has been reading a book, Parenting with Love & Logic, to fulfill this quarter's education requirement. I will read it when he is done.

**My sister is going to have a booth at the Ham Fest to sell our items (check out our store: www.landrdesigns.etsy.com ) She is also getting information about a local craft fair at a church in Sugarland on Saturday, April something. Obviously I don't have much information yet......

**Our adoption fund is just over $8000 today! Please continue to pray that we will see a steady (and large) increase. We know that God has it all under control, but it is getting harder every day to be patient.

**I posted a baseball card that a friend gave us to sell to raise funds. There are about 2 days left for the auction, and no bids yet. Check it out on eBay: 1973 Rookie Third Basemen (Rey, Hilton, Schmidt). If it doesn't sell this time, I will repost it and continue praying! I also plan to post several other items in the next week or so.

Required Reading is Done!!!! (for now)

I have finally finished reading the last book! I have written my report; put it in the envelope with the rest of the papers; typed, printed and signed the cover letter; and put the cover letter in the envelope. Tomorrow, I will make copies of all the papers and mail the envelope to Buckner. YEAH!!!! This is a huge weight off my shoulders. Now we just get to wait, pray and wait some more.

Please continue to lift us up in prayer as we wait. Also keep our finances in your prayers. Chris has applied for a part-time job with Wal-Mart to help with our finances, but hasn't heard anything from them yet.

Only One Book Left!

Chris finished the second book tonight and wrote his report! Woo Hoo! Now, we just have one left: Raising Adopted Children by Lois Ruskai Melina. We plan to read it together and it shouldn't take too long. All the papers should be finished and in the mail by next weekend.

Reading and Vacation

Chris is on vacation this week (if he doesn't take it by a certain time, he loses it) and has been reading one of the adoption books. He started yesterday and read on and off during the day. He took a break and went with me to my dad's house to water his pepper plants and got a lot read. As of right now (5:41 pm, according to the computer), he is about half-way through! Yeah! Once he finishes this book (Adopting the Older Child by Claudia Jewett, 1978), we will read the last book together (Raising Adopted Children by Lois Ruskai Melina). Since Chris set a 'want to be done by' date of the end of July, we don't have much time left if we are going to meet it! Personally, the start of next week is okay with me.

On a different note, I joined Facebook today. Yes, I have gone to the dark side... It is totally addicting and if I am not careful, hours will slip by and I will still be staring at the computer screen (like I did this afternoon).

Anyway, we are plugging along on the reading issue; I am so proud of Chris (he is not a big reader!). If I am not careful, he will finish both books and reports before me!

Please continue to lift us up in prayer: finances available when they are needed, preparing the house for our kiddos, getting ready to take on a second job again (Chris is planning on applying at Wal-Mart this week for a part-time job to help out with the finances), and me getting ready to go back for another school year (I am looking forward to meeting my new students!).

Two books down, one left to go (for me at least)...

I finally finished my second book (Adopting the Older Child) this afternoon and wrote my report! It took a while, but I managed to sit down, ignore the tv that Chris was watching and read the book. Now I have to read the last book, Raising Adopted Children, and I will be done with my required reading!

All that is left is for Chris to read the books and write his reports, then our part of the Home Study will be done!

International Adoption Seminar

Chris and I attended the required International Adoption Seminar by Buckner this past week and it was great! We drove up Wednesday afternoon and came back after the seminar was over Friday night. It was a long and tiring trip, but well worth it all.

The Seminar talked about attachment & sensory issues our children may have and we will have to deal with as well. It helped that we both had finished the book: The Connected Child by Dr. Karen Purvis prior to the seminar as alot of what was discussed was in her book. We feel better prepared now, but we still know that there will be other issues that pop up when we get our children home. We also had a break-out session that was specific to Russia, and that gave us a better insight in what to expect as we continue in the process.

It was really neat to meet 2 other couples that are adopting from Russia that live in the Houston area (one is about 10-15 minutes away in Sugar Land, and the other is in the 290 area, which is still rather close)! They are both looking for 1 child, age 2 and under. We are already planning on getting together in May, probably at a support group meeting.

Chris and I are still really tired, but that is to be expected when given an overwhelming amount of information for 2 days and then driving home that second night! We did walk to the Celebration Station (it is next to the hotel we stayed at) to paly 2 rounds of Putt-Putt Golf Thursday night to de-stress. We had a lot of fun; Chris won both rounds (by just a few points)!

We now have a lot more to discuss and plan for, but God is with us and will provide. Attending the Seminar puts us about half-way through the Home Study Process...

One book down...

Chris finished one of the books we have to read "The Connected Child" and wrote his summary report. I started reading it yesterday at school, but didn't get very far. I should be able to finish it before we leave for the seminar on Wednesday. He started reading the next book "Adopting the Older Child". I had to find it on Amazon.com because it is out of print (was written in 1978), but it still has good information. Our social worker, Joy, said that she wanted us to read at least one book on adopting older children since we are asking for older children. I still plan to read the one my sister got us for Christmas, "Toddler Adoption" as part of my list since they may be older in age, but on an emotional/mental level of a toddler.

We are attending the required International Adoption Seminar with Buckner this next week in Dallas. We plan to drive up when Chris gets off at 11:00 on Wednesday and drive home after it is done on Friday so that we can pick up our dog from the vet on Saturday (it will save us about $60 at the vet's and one night at a hotel). It will make for a very long day, but we are okay with it. We had hoped to get together with friends in Burleson, but they are going to be in Houston visiting with their kids and grandkids.

As far as the other parts of the Home Study: psychological evaluations and getting the house ready, we are waiting until we finish with the Seminar this week. I have been a bit stressed out right now, so I need to wait and do one thing at a time. We have done little things around the house, but are waiting (for now) to do the big things.