By MykkaMoose on 5/28/2010 8:44 AM

There are a lot of things I could be doing this morning: folding and putting away laundry, cleaning off my desk, cleaning up after breakfast, getting children dressed, making my bed and cleaning my room.  But instead I am choosing to blog :)  I haven’t been very good about keeping up on my blog (I know, I keep saying that and thinking that).  I really want to keep up on this because I think it will be a ton of fun to look back on a year or two down the road or maybe even 10 or 20.  It’s a great way to remember the little things that make life so meaningful during these sweet years.  So, I am CHOOSING to blog.  Or to use a phrase I’ve been hearing a lot of lately, being intentional.

I don’t know where to start since I’m so far behind so please forgive me if this post is all over the board.

Titus…I’ll start with him because his changes are so obvious and easy.  He is our mini moose.  He is getting so big and strong.  I don’t doubt that it soon he will be passing up Jubilee in weight and perhaps height.  He weighed 18 pounds 5 ounces when I took him in to the doctor last week.  I don’t take my children to the doctor too often.  I don’t subscribe to the “need” for well baby checks.  If my child is well why would I take them to the doctor?  So, why exactly was Titus in the doctor’s office?  Well, it all started when he was tiny.  He was maybe six weeks old and we noticed he was having tremors in his legs.  I took him in and the doctor said not to worry about it even though the doctor never saw him do it.  Well, fast forward to about a month ago and we noticed his hands would sometimes shake in unison.  Long story short we think he is having seizures.  I took him to Children’s and they can’t decide if he is having them or not.  Their general take on things is that we should wait ‘til it happens again and then pinch him.  If he reacts to our pinch it’s not a seizure but if he doesn’t then we will need to further investigate to find out what is going on with him.

Titus is also crawling!  He just started crawling last Sunday so he’s not quite all over the place but he’s going further and faster each day.  Yesterday he was able to get from the desk to the dog bowl three times.  It was hilarious to watch.  His technique to the dog bowl more resembled him doing the worm than crawling but it worked!

I am posting the only picture of Titus on the disk that I am using.  It is not a picture of him crawling though.  He needs sleep to be able to do all that crawling stuff so sleep it is!  As you also may be able to tell from this picture he is dealing with a little bit of exema on his cheek and chin.  We are in the process of trying to figure out what is causing it.  Usually it’s not too bad but in this picture it looks like he was having one of his bad days.

Beth, or Elizabeth, as she currently says she prefers to be called had oral surgery on Wednesday.  We had taken her to a dentist who said she needed to be put under to repair her teeth but would have to refer us out for the sedation.  Then I took her to the dentist we had been seeing but wasn’t terribly happy with because I knew they could sedate her.  They said she had a couple of small cavities that could wait six months to be repaired.  We took her to a third place and ended up using them to fix her teeth. 

We woke up at 4 am to start getting things ready to go.  Beth woke up about 4:30 and asked if it was morning (she does this regularly).  I told her she could go back to sleep but I guess she decided since I was up she would get up too.  I was hoping she would sleep longer because she wasn’t allowed to have any food or drink prior to her surgery and I didn’t want to disappoint her.  She never did ask to eat or drink which was a huge blessing!  About 4:45 we got everything in the car and put Beth, Titus, Mike and I in too.  The drive took us about 45 minutes.  The morning was sort of drizzly and seemed to match the mood of the day. 

The nurses at the hospital were super nice even though Beth was less than corporative.  She didn’t want them putting the blood pressure cuff on her, the pulse ox. or even taking her temperature.  The surgery lasted for two hours.  When everything was done the hospital volunteer came to get us and take us back to the recovery area.  Half way down the hall I heard a noise.  After just a second of listening I realized it was Beth screaming.  We needed to get back to her!  Of course, if you know Beth, you wouldn’t expect anything less.  The nurse said as soon as Beth was awake she ripped the breathing tube out of her nose.  By the time we got back there she was attempting to rip the IV.  The nurse had to move pretty quick to get the IV out for us but fortunately that was after she gave her some pain medicine. 

Now Beth has new princess teeth.  Her front teeth look so perfect!  She got the front, top four capped with tooth colored caps.  She got two bottom molars on each side crowned with silver crowns and then I think she had a couple of cavities on her top molars filled in with tooth colored fillings.

Jubilee can talk!  Yes, I know you are all thinking that every just turned two year old should be able to babble out a few words and phrases but this girl can talk!  I think she’s practicing for a career as a Mother of Many :)  This morning she came to me singing “I love you a bushel and a peck, a bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck!”  She just chatters away all day, there isn’t anything she can’t say.

 

(She was eating her breakfast in these pictures so please excuse the messy face :))

Jubilee is also one of our best potty trainers.  I know, that’s almost TMI but when you are a Mother of Many it’s important!  The two things outside of Biblical truth that I find are most important to teach my child are potty training and learning to read.  I figure if I can get those two things the rest is downhill.  Jubilee readily climbs herself up on the toilette in the most unusual fashion.  I wish that I could video take it and post it for you all to see but there are just some things that aren’t suitable for a blog.  It also cracks me up that both she and Beth do not like their panties or tights up over their belly buttons, clearly they both belong to Mike.

Hosanna is going to the eye doctor today.  They keep saying she needs glasses but then want to wait another six months ‘til they give them to her.  So, we shall see if today is the day.  She is very excited about the prospect of getting glasses and I think she’d look so cute with them!

We were gifted with a second guitar last weekend.  A totally unsuspected blessing but SO appreciated!  Gabe has been wanting me to teach him how to play the guitar for about six months now and I had kind of been putting it off.  The new guitar was just the kick start that I needed.  He’s really been enjoying himself as are Elisha and Isaiah.  He was telling me just this morning how his callous are starting to form, definitely a good sign!

    

Isaiah has found another instrument to purchase.  He seems to have a natural affinity for music so I was glad to help him buy a third instrument (plus the other children will be able to use it).  Today’s purchase will be a clarinet.  He also plays the saxophone and the trombone as well as the penny whistle.  He will have to limit himself to playing only two of his instruments in band this fall and I have no idea how he will choose.

I will be done blogging for today but my head has many more things stored up in it to blog so stay tuned!

By MykkaMoose on 5/20/2010 7:33 AM

     I wanted to just post and say that I’m still here.  I took a break from blogging because our adoption of Naya fell though.  I am super happy that she has a family but I’m devastated it’s not us.  I love that little girl to bits!  I’m sure there will always be a part of my heart with a Naya sized hole in it.  I hope to resume blogging soon – I’ve got lots to share.

By MykkaMoose on 3/5/2010 11:50 AM

Yeah!  I’m so excited, I have blog followers!!!  Yes, I’m easily amused as you all can tell.  I just wanted to say Hi to everybody – so HI :)

I haven’t found a soundtrack for our adoption yet.  I had a couple that were suggested to me (thanks C!) but I already have both of those.  I am thinking maybe of getting a Sara Groves CD. 

I am waiting to hear back from our social worker about our homestudy.  We have everything done and are just waiting for him to get our background check from North Carolina.  We have one meeting with him that’s scheduled for the 13th and hopefully the next week we will have the signed homestudy!  The next step after that is to submit our I-600A and request for FBI finger prints.  The I-600A will cost $670 and the finger prints are $80 each for Mike and I.  I’m glad we have all that money set aside.  I’d rather just pay for things than have money in my bank account – it just tempts me to spend it. 

I am hoping that in the next couple of weeks we will get new pictures of our sweet Naya girl.  There are two families going to her city to get their children (Hi Jodi and Nancy!).

I’ll try and make a post with pictures soon, I’m not sure where our camera is right now.

Additionally, if you have a Biblical girls name we are taking suggestions.  It can’t end in an A sound though because her middle and last name will both end that way.  We are open to Biblical names that aren’t used as names in the Bible such as Jubilee and Hosanna.  Yes, we are stuck for a name so help please!

By MykkaMoose on 3/4/2010 12:42 PM

Are you out there?  Is anybody out there?  Does anybody even read this blog?  If you do leave me a comment and say hi because I’m feeling a little discouraged right now that nobody is reading my blog (well, except maybe Carrie – Hi Carrie!!!)

By MykkaMoose on 2/25/2010 9:08 PM

     Well, the title pretty much sums it up.  It was a long day.  It feels like I’m just spinning in circles sometimes which makes time just drag on.  It’s hard not to get discouraged when things don’t seem to be moving forward.  First thing this morning I got a blank e-mail from our social worker for the home study.  I e-mailed him back to tell him all I got was something blank but I still haven’t heard back from him.  I did talk to the receptionist or helper he has working in his office and got a few half answers.  I was told they were still waiting on one reference and the back ground checks from Wyoming and North Carolina. 

     The older children walked the dogs this morning.  They have three in our neighborhood they walk Monday though Friday for a dollar each dog.  It is a good, not too stressful, job for them.  I hate that I have to sometimes remember to send them over to walk the dogs though and I hate that sometimes I have to juggle their dog walking with the things I need to get done in the day.  But, I’m glad they have a job that they can learn about responsibility with.  I like that they are able to make some spending and saving money that I don’t have to provide for them.

     After the children walked the dogs we did some school.  I ordered some new school books that we really need because the older children are nearly finished with what they are currently working on.  I also called the second hand home school store near the Taylor’s and found out that I have a $25 dollar credit.  Yippie!  I am hoping it’s enough to buy Spelling Power.  I will probably pick up a few other things that are on my school list there that I’ve noticed they nearly always have.  I’m planning on packing up a few things to take down when I go to the doctor on Tuesday and hopefully kill two birds with one stone.

     We had lunch and then packed up the van and headed for band and choir.  I must say, I am MUCH happier with this bank program than the one we were part of for the past two years.  The children have learned so much and the programs at the end of the year sound awesome.  I’m happy to be sitting in my seat enjoying the music and not cringing because it sounds like nobody even saw the music before. 

     While we were waiting for some of the children to be done with band the phone rang.  I picked it up and the lady on the other end was asking if it was the Taylor’s residence.  I thought it sounded like Betty, the secretary/helper from the home study agency.  Sure enough it was.  I guess she was trying to figure out where to file our guardianship paper.  It turns out that they got the back ground checks from Wyoming today and the last reference.

     When I got home we had a lot of mail.  We got birth certificates for Mike, our marriage certificates, and an overpayment check for our mortgage. 

     Mike is working late and Titus isn’t feeling the best so I guess I need to hit the publish button and get myself into bed.

By MykkaMoose on 2/20/2010 6:37 AM

      I have a soundtrack to my life.  Does that sound strange?  When I hear certain songs I remember where I was and how I felt when I first heard that song.  So there are songs I associate with my first son being an infant, songs I associate with living in Germany, and so on.  I love the fact that my life has a soundtrack.

     So, I’m looking for a CD to start playing now so that I will always associate those songs with this special time in my life.  The songs that will make me remember all the joy, anticipation, and paperwork that makes bringing Naya home so special.  Do you have a suggestion?  Let me know of the CD you think I should buy and start playing in earnest that will become Naya’s soundtrack.

By MykkaMoose on 2/19/2010 8:51 PM

     The last week I’ve been busy doing paperwork for the adoption.  There are so many papers it makes your head spin.  There are papers for the home study, papers for the dossier, papers for passports and papers just because they think you have nothing else to do.  I have everything for our home study done except the second doctor’s appointment and sending away the verification of Mike’s employment.  I filled out all the passport forms and sent mine away.  Mike and I will have to go in person to request a new passport for Elisha and a passport for Titus.  I sent letters this week requesting our marriage certificate and a copy of my birth certificate as well as applied for Mike’s online (New Hampshire totally beats Wyoming in the area of requesting certified documents.)  Tomorrow it’s back down to the bank to have more things notarized and then send all the forms away to make sure they are right.

     I hope our social worker gets back from his time away and is ready to work next week.  I want our home study done!  I need to check my HUGE list of things to do and find out what the next steps are.  Some of the steps you can do at the same time but then sometimes you just end up against a wall and have to wait for things, like the home study, to be done before you can do anything else, I think I may be at that point.  I know as soon as the home study is done I can send it to USCIS and request our fingerprinting appointment but then it’s back to waiting. 

     There is a family that has been at Naya’s orphanage the past couple of weeks.  We are really hoping they were able to see Naya and get some pictures of her but for now we don’t know.  We are praying for their family to get their court date soon.  They got stuck in the middle of some things and had to come home to wait for a court date.  I can’t imagine the pain of having to leave your precious child in another country.  I am praying that Hunter is in his Momma’s arms where he belongs before too many more days go by!

     On another note our children have been sick.  Jubilee has an ear infection.  Her nose looks like it is a green sludge factory.  Now Beth is running a fever and overnight has picked up Hosanna’s croupy cough.  I hate to hear my little girls coughing.  Hosanna sounds nearly hoarse so we stayed home from speech this week.  I hope next week brings healthy children!

By MykkaMoose on 2/13/2010 2:07 PM

     It’s turning out to be a good Saturday at our house.  We started off the day a bit slow so we didn’t want to wait long enough to make our usual large Saturday breakfast.  Instead, Mike, Beth, Jubilee and I went to Haggen to get doughnuts. 

     While the kids cleaned up after breakfast Mike and I started in on our second online adoption class.  The first class proved to be time consuming and very badly done.  Although we ended up learning some new information I wouldn’t recommend this particular set of classes unless there was nothing else available.  The second class went much faster, probably because there was no homework involved.

     After we finished our class we made sure everybody was dressed and headed to the bank.  Mike and I took Titus and Elizabeth with us, too.  We stopped at Rite Aid to buy some blue pans so we could get our Power of Attorney and Child Specific Request notarized.  Beth found a little coloring packet that seemed like a good idea to bring to the bank so we ended up buying that for her too.  Beth was really good at the bank but Titus was getting a little tired of being out and was thinking about what he could eat.

     We rushed to Albertsons and got a few groceries.  I forgot to pick up the stuff I needed for our church potluck tomorrow so we had to check out twice.  We got home and made some BLTs for lunch. 

We also found a HUGE bone for the dog.  We cooked it just a little and then gave it to her.  Boy, she thought she had died and gone to heaven (except we don’t believe animals go to heaven because they don’t have souls)!  

     I cooked up some hamburger for the enchiladas I’m planning for the church potluck.  We are supposed to make something red so I hope this qualifies.  I had Elisha start in on a red cake I picked up but she barely started when she discovered we had no eggs.  So, I guess it’s back to the store for me.

     Tonight Elisha, Titus and I will go to a Messanic Dance class.  The girls had been taking a class that Tina made just for the children.  They had a ton of fun and I have to admit, I did too.  Elisha and I found out about the adult class so we’re going to check it out.  It really gets your heart going and it’s a great way to Praise the Lord!

By MykkaMoose on 1/14/2010 10:16 AM

¹I will bless the LORD at all times;
   his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
²My soul makes its boast in the LORD;
   let the humble hear and be glad.
³Oh, magnify the LORD with me,
   and let us exalt his name together!

⁴I sought the LORD, and he answered me
   and delivered me from all my fears.
⁵Those who look to him are radiant,
   and their faces shall never be ashamed.
⁶ This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
   and saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel of the LORD encamps
   around those who fear him, and delivers them.

⁸Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good!
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
⁹Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints,
   for those who fear him have no lack!
¹⁰ The young lions suffer want and hunger;
   but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

¹¹ Come, O children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
¹² What man is there who desires life
   and loves many days, that he may see good?
¹³ Keep your tongue from evil
   and your lips from speaking deceit.
¹⁴ Turn away from evil and do good;
   seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁵ The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
and his ears toward their cry.
¹⁶ The face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
   to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
¹⁷ When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears
   and delivers them out of all their troubles.
¹⁸The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
   and saves the crushed in spirit.

¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
but the LORD delivers him out of them all.
²⁰He keeps all his bones;
not one of them is broken.
²¹ Affliction will slay the wicked,
   and those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
²²The LORD redeems the life of his servants;
   none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

By MykkaMoose on 1/14/2010 8:16 AM

Tonight at dinner Beth and I had a brief discussion that went like this

Beth: “What kind of chicken is that?”

Me: “It’s fish.”