tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43492893812574977922024-03-12T16:09:00.255-07:00A Family for MariaGentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.comBlogger102125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-22063396882686080402012-12-29T01:04:00.003-08:002012-12-29T01:04:53.663-08:00Russian adoptionWhat happens to a Russian orphan one year after being adopted by a loving American family?<br />
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A chance at LIFE!</div>
<br />Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-89892792023446177542012-11-15T00:36:00.003-08:002012-11-15T00:39:41.692-08:001 year home!On Monday we celebrated Maria's being home with us for 1 year! Sometimes it seems like it has gone by so fast and other times it feels like it's been a long, difficult year. I have been looking over photos and videos the last couple of days and I think this is the best way to show just HOW much Maria has changed. It has been a lot of work! But looking back has helped me see that all the work has truly paid off.<br />
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Happy 1 year home Maria! Can't wait for what the future holds for you!Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-66089423409839075732012-10-23T01:46:00.001-07:002012-10-23T23:14:15.885-07:00How God Changes Lives for His Glory, Part 2<b style="line-height: 19.2pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Read Part 1 <a href="http://afamilyformaria.blogspot.com/2012/10/regarding-time-i-was-on-wheel-of.html?spref=fb">here</a></span></b><br />
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<b style="line-height: 19.2pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">A Family for Maria</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">We prayed about moving forward and committing to
a child featured on <a href="http://www.reecesrainbow.org/">Reece’s Rainbow</a>. When I went back to the profiles, one of
the girls and the boy were no longer there. That left Maria’s profile. The
profile that had caused me to sob and to blurt out, “You can be in our family”:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: dodgerblue; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Maria F. </span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.usynovite.ru/child/?id=1ccqw" target="_blank"><span lang="RU" style="color: blue; mso-ansi-language: RU;">Мария Ф.</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Brothers and sisters no Date of Birth:
September 17, 2007 Gender: Female Eyes: Brown Hair: brown Nature:
cheerful, helpful, social</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">This muffin has a caregiver who loves her
dearly. When they learned of the possibility of finding a family for her,
they were so happy and offered the following info about her: "<i>Maria
is very friendly and in her group she helps the caregiver to give the food to
children, like they give her cookies, for instance, and say please put to
everybody and she does it. If she has one cookie she would divide it into
pieces to give to all the people around."</i></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: x-small;">From our facilitator: Maria was
born from a socially strong family, the both parents were highly educated, not
too young, they were in registered marriage. The parents were just not able to
overcome the fact of appearance of a child with DS. Maria has also had heart
problems, and she has had a surgery, which has solved them. Now she is
functioning well. Also she has had problems with intestinal tract
and she has had the surgery, which was also successful</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Our original plan was to adopt a little boy. We
already had two girls and my son really wanted a little brother (still does :). We
also had never considered adopting a child with Down syndrome. Next
we found out she was in Russia- of all places! We speak Spanish! We knew
nothing about Russia and had little desire to know anything about it. But
I had met a couple who had adopted from Russia and had heard their entire
adoption story and I felt at peace knowing at least a little about the
process. I love it when God takes things out of our hands and
reveals what His will is for us. Makes it harder for us to mess
things up! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now, I am a very practical person and it seemed
like the logical steps were to find a house with enough room for four children
and then start the adoption. But that’s how I knew God was in control. It wasn't practical,
but I had peace. It’s not how I would have done it, but I felt so urged that I
had to do it out of obedience. So we were ready to commit to Maria’s adoption
through the<a href="http://www.reecesrainbow.org/"> Reece’s Rainbow</a> grant program but I really had no idea how to
start. I went on the yahoo group and asked a question about if anyone knew if
there were adoption laws about the number of people allowed in 2 bedroom
apartment. I received a response that totally hit me in the gut.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hi Gentry, I don't know the laws BUT I do know
our God and if He has put adoption of this little girl on your families
heart then you can be confident He has a plan. He is just waiting for you to
step out in obedience to His call. He will make a way when there seems to
be none. The things that keep you from committing are
really just fear put there by Satan to keep you where you are and that
child in his grasp. </span></i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I knew then we would move
forward to bring Maria home.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> This
girl had my heart! It was like someone had stolen my baby and I was ready to do
everything I could to get her back. They don’t call us “Mama Bears” for
nothing! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We used part of the money
from my winnings from Wheel of Fortune to begin the adoption process. We paid
for our home study, fingerprinting, psychological evaluation and various other
documents we needed to collect. We had deadlines to meet in the process and
each time we needed a specific amount of money by a specific deadline, God met
that need- almost to the dollar. </span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="background: white;">We never received a $30,000
check for our adoption. </span> <span style="background: white;">But
over 200 people donated to help save Maria’s life. </span> <span style="background: white;">We stressed a lot about raising the money for our
adoption, but when we went to God and poured out our hearts, he gave us peace
and helped us to push forward even when the end seemed unattainable. </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When we began our home study,
part of the documents require us to show our family income. </span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="background: white;">Russia
has high standards for adoptive families and because of my winnings on Wheel of
Fortune, we were able to report that income on our home study. </span> <span style="background: white;">If we had waited to adopt until after we had bought
the house, we likely would not have been approved, because that income would no
longer have been in the bank. </span> <span style="background: white;">I
am so glad I listened to God’s voice, even when it seemed impractical.</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt;">We also found out that we came for Maria just in
time. There had been several delays in our adoption, most we couldn't avoid,
some caused by our move. But if we had not decided to start our
adoption when God told us to, and had waited until the timing was “right”,
Maria would have experienced the traumatic experience of being transferred to
an adult mental institution. You see, just two months after our first visit she
turned 4 years old and as the prosecutor testified in court, she would have
been transferred then, where she would have been on her own in regards to
dressing herself, feeding herself, toileting and would have had little
supervision and little to no caregiver affection. We thank Jesus for
sparing her of this experience- she already had enough trauma during her first
10 months where she was in the hospital after having two surgeries.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But we still didn't have
a house. </span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="background: white;">We had looked out of the area and put offers on two
houses, neither which were accepted. </span> <span style="background: white;">Then my husband found a listing for a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom house 2
miles from his work. </span> <span style="background: white;">It was
way under price and we thought, what is wrong with it? First, it was a short
sale. The owner owed more to the bank than the house was worth. We found out it
was a County affordable housing community. </span> <span style="background: white;">The owner should not have refinanced his house for
more than the County allows, but he did and the house was in danger of being
foreclosed upon. Second, this house should never have been listed because there
is a very long waiting list of families who have turned in preliminary
paperwork that the seller can contact. When we went to see it, though,
I didn't want it. It was terribly, terribly dirty and neglected. My
husband and Realtor convinced me that the cosmetic issues could be
fixed and that this was a great deal and we put in our offer. But, another
family put their offer in 5 minutes before us. </span> <span style="background: white;">Several months passed and suddenly we were contacted
by our Realtor. </span> <span style="background: white;">The bank
now wanted to consider our offer because the other family “disappeared”. </span> <span style="background: white;">Except they needed paperwork in 2 days before it would
be sold at the county courthouse auction. </span> <span style="background: white;">Well, we couldn't get that done and appealed
to the bank to have a little more time. </span> <span style="background: white;">We also didn't know that another person
wrote a letter on our behalf pleading the bank to take our offer and postpone
the auction until they had our paperwork. </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In the meantime, we also
found out that rats had gotten into the house and had eaten through drywall and
had gone into the attic, and destroyed the air ducts and had been
nesting. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> <span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">There were rat feces along every wall in the
house. </span> <span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">There was mold from a leak
in the kitchen sink and the wood was warped. </span> <span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">There were no appliances and the carpet would all need
to be replaced and the entire house- walls and ceilings would need to be
scrubbed and painted. </span> <span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">The
entire front yard was a jungle and the vegetation would need to be removed to
discourage future critters from taking up residence. </span> <span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">The side yard was used by the dog for a bathroom and
there was a huge trash pile along the back fence. We kept praying
that if it was God’s will to have this house, He would make a way for us to
afford the repairs and costs. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">It wasn't until
February that we received the phone call that our offer had been approved for
the house- as we were about to board the cruise ship to Hawaii (I could not
sell or postpone the cruise I won on Wheel of Fortune, and it was such a
blessing –an anniversary trip much needed in the midst of the adoption
process). </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQNDodA67BOSGw7XklMBN9QP4xhflk9QVNXJPH9UPjtYEn5t0UtKK7dwjMjMFK-eGeqEooW5ASyYkxD1BEZFTzwXj91dbMm5FReAYcEbrTXc7qwgncQlIDHWxgGGX2ZbQ6yu0ybXID90/s1600/100_5319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimQNDodA67BOSGw7XklMBN9QP4xhflk9QVNXJPH9UPjtYEn5t0UtKK7dwjMjMFK-eGeqEooW5ASyYkxD1BEZFTzwXj91dbMm5FReAYcEbrTXc7qwgncQlIDHWxgGGX2ZbQ6yu0ybXID90/s320/100_5319.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">We are so thankful that my
husband has a 5 minute commute to work now and usually comes home for lunch,
instead of a 45 minute commute down and up a mountainous road with an old car
on its last leg. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">We had a month to fix up the
house before we needed to move from our apartment and start paying our
mortgage. </span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="background: white;">My mom and sister came to watch the kids and my dad
and I started on the house. </span> <span style="background: white;">My
husband would come home at lunch to help. We had to pull all of the kitchen
cabinets out, and my dad sanded and painted them all. I painted every wall and
ceiling in the house. </span> <span style="background: white;">I had
never done it before, but learned fast. </span> <span style="background: white;">I had to paint 3 coats of paint on the ceilings
because the previous owner had been a smoker. </span> <span style="background: white;">I think I developed carpel tunnel syndrome because of
gripping the roller too hard. </span> <span style="background: white;">I
also felt a lot like Michelangelo with my head cocked back and paint dripping
in my eyes, trying to paint those darn ceilings (and they were super high
too). </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">On the first night we slept
in our house, my husband turned to me and said, "I hope we can afford this
house." Then he turned over and fell asleep! I, of course, couldn't sleep
at all but tried to pray for God's provision. The next morning he emailed
me to say he had just been given a raise! God answered my prayer and reminded
me He would provide for us. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the end, we have a
beautiful home, with room for our growing family. </span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="background: white;">It truly was
a miracle that we have this house-we are so blessed! </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLn3jP7EjlOqYTpz8cwba9_Ol_K_7bsEfF9kkynn4Wu5T5dyP8Phh9gwqp0KLbp7zYPtKTZY98IY-o_nPopnkPPEiPllIDsqdXuhITMbgTgLgbpz-tT0Namy6O2WcUOZEbjEy7hYQ06OM/s1600/IMG_8022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLn3jP7EjlOqYTpz8cwba9_Ol_K_7bsEfF9kkynn4Wu5T5dyP8Phh9gwqp0KLbp7zYPtKTZY98IY-o_nPopnkPPEiPllIDsqdXuhITMbgTgLgbpz-tT0Namy6O2WcUOZEbjEy7hYQ06OM/s320/IMG_8022.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A couple
of months after we moved in I found out we have a lovely Russian couple that
live four doors down. </span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="background: white;">They fled to America 20 years ago because of religious
persecution with their 12 children. </span> <span style="background: white;">After meeting several times and sharing with them about our adoption, they
contacted family members and arranged for us to stay with them during our
second trip to Russia. It was such a blessing to live with a Russian family and
get to know their food and customs- we even went to church with them! </span> <span style="background: white;">We also have several Ukrainian families in our
neighborhood. </span> <span style="background: white;">Only God could
have arranged this!</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To God be the Glory</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Several months later, I
received a phone call from Wheel of Fortune. They wanted to follow up with me
and asked how I used the money I had won. </span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="background: white;">I told them about the house
and how we were in the process to adopt Maria. </span> <span style="background: white;">They were so pleased and asked if I would be
interested in sharing my story on their Changing Lives segment. </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">For me, my prayer has always
been that God would receive the glory. </span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="background: white;">If bringing attention to my
life makes God famous, then I am willing. </span> <span style="background: white;">Part of the reason that I am sharing this on my blog
is so that I will have a written account of what God has done. </span> <span style="background: white;">I so easily forget and so easily begin to rely on my
own strength, instead of focusing on Christ and putting my faith in Him. </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">If you are reading this blog,
I hope you are able to see that God does miracles. And He does them through
ordinary people. </span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="background: white;">Ask Him what He wants to do through you. </span> <span style="background: white;">Is He asking you to adopt or be a foster parent? </span> <span style="background: white;">Is He asking you to be a missionary? </span> <span style="background: white;">Maybe He is asking you to lay aside your earthly
treasures and invest in things that we can’t take to our grave anyway. </span> <span style="background: white;">Following Christ is such an amazing adventure- a very
difficult, sometimes painful- but amazing journey full of hope, love and
eternal life! Seek Him!</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<i><span style="background: white; color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Seek first the kingdom of God
and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.</span></i><span style="color: #2a2a2a; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <span style="background: white;">Matthew
6:33</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-20534728675245218482012-10-22T03:20:00.000-07:002012-10-23T23:16:34.409-07:00Regarding the time I was on Wheel of Fortune and won a bunch of money (i.e. How God changes lives for His glory)Many of you reading this have watched this story
unfold over the past 3 years, while some of you are learning it for the first
time. I have posted the videos of my appearance
on Wheel of Fortune below for your reference.
It was very fun and amazing. But
I want to make it very clear from the beginning that this is not about me! Please forgive me for poor grammar or for not
always expressing things the way I would like. Try to look past the errors and
remember this as a story that God has written. It is about miracles and about
Christ’s redeeming love. Enjoy!<br />
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Three summers ago, I received an email from
another home schooling mom that Wheel of Fortune was looking for contestants. I
had signed up to be a contestant several years before but was never contacted. My
husband had always urged me to try to get on the show because I was so good at solving
the puzzles. I went to the website and found out they had a new system called
the Wheel Watchers Club. Each time you watched, you would enter the bonus round
puzzle on your account and you received points. There were other activities you
could do to earn more points. After reaching a certain number of points you
were entered into the contestant pool. I did this for about a month until
school started when I found it difficult to keep up. Nevertheless, in November I received an email inviting
me to audition in Los Angeles 2 weeks later. I started watching as many shows as I
could, played online versions and searched the internet for tips on being a
contestant.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I was so nervous at the audition. First we had
to stand up in a room of 200 people and say our name in a loud projecting
voice. I am so thankful for all of my church choir and high school drama performances! Then we were called on to
try to guess a letter and solve the puzzle like in the game. I guessed a couple of letters and solved and
I won a Wheel of Fortune tote bag!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Then we had to take a written test. It had
different categories with puzzles with only some letters showing and lots of
blanks. It was quite difficult. Then we were given a break. They would consider
our test score plus our game trial performance and narrow it down to 40
contestants. Well I made it through.
Then we were called on to stand in the front with 3 other contestants and
pretend to spin and compete. I don’t think I did very well on this part. <o:p></o:p></div>
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However about 2 weeks later I received a
letter saying that I would definitely be on a show in the near future. Most
contestants wait years, I only waited 2 months! I amped up my studying and
often stayed up late. In January I received a call asking me to come down the following
week. It helps that I only live two hours away!<o:p></o:p></div>
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During this time the idea of adoption kept
coming up. We already had three children and were thinking our family was complete.
We had always talked about adoption before, but it seemed impossible under our
circumstances. We lived in a small two bedroom apartment with no yard or patio
and all three kids were crammed into one bedroom. We had just read about George
Muller and his orphanages. It was such a challenging book for my faith! Then I
saw the movie The Blind Side. It seemed like the theme kept popping up
everywhere. My heart kept feeling stirred. I was afraid my husband would think
I was crazy, so I just prayed that God would make it clear what we should do. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We started praying about my appearance on Wheel
of Fortune and that whatever the outcome, God
would be glorified. Sure some extra money would be fabulous, but we know our
happiness is not in wealth or possessions, but comes from our salvation in
Jesus Christ. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span class="woj"><i><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
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<span class="woj"><i><span style="background-color: white;">“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth,
where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal;</span></i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></i></span><span class="woj"><i><span style="background-color: white;">but lay
up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and
where thieves do not break in and steal.</span></i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></i></span><span class="text"><b><i><sup><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></sup></i></b></span><span class="woj"><i><span style="background-color: white;">For where
your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”</span></i></span><span class="woj"><span style="background-color: white;"> Matthew 6:19-20</span></span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>The
Wheel of Fortune show taping<o:p></o:p></b></div>
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This was one of the hardest things I have ever
done. My nerves were out of control! Six shows were going to be taped in one
day and I was going to be on the third one.
During the show, it was hard to concentrate. They kept saying stand this
way, look this way, spin the wheel harder, speak louder, clap all the
time. </div>
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Wheel of Fortune Part 1: </div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CCJdgX5hE_Y" width="420"></iframe>
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So the show started and three
puzzles went by and I didn’t win any money. But I kept praying and later found
out that my husband was sweating bullets and praying for me the whole
time. Then all of a sudden something
happened. I kept landing on big money
and I kept getting multiple letters. And it was the Prize Puzzle. I actually
didn’t know I had landed on $3500 because they told us not to look at the
wheel. I almost said another letter but quickly realized there were more “D’s”.
That landed me $13,800. Then I solved
and got the Prize too- a two week cruise for two to Hawaii! From $0 to $20,886
in 2 minutes!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Wheel of Fortune Part 2: </div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BHRzxG4afvU" width="420"></iframe>
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The third puzzle was going well and then my
mouth repeated the last letter I said, even though my brain was thinking another
letter. (Yes, lots of people have
reminded me of my mistake, so you don’t have too. <span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span>). Although I missed the third toss-up, luckily I got another chance.Just as I was getting into it, the timer buzzed and we would have to do speed round. While Pat
spun the wheel and explained the rules, I had about 20 extra seconds to study
the puzzle and that’s when I figured it out.
That moment seemed divine. I had
been doing so poorly- then all of a sudden it just seemed like things were rolling. (I'm not sure why Pat had such a hard time pronouncing my name- it's Gen-try, not Gent-ry)<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
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Last was the Bonus Round. Before my taping, I
sat in the audience and watched the two previous tapings. I did not figure out
the bonus round puzzle nor did the contestant.
I was a little intimidated, but kept praying. The theme for the week was
Going Green so I had that in the back of my mind. I had a strategy for picking the letters
depending on what letters would come up. Once the letters in the puzzle appeared, I
definitely knew the second word was atmosphere. So it was easy to choose the
letters that I knew were there, plus another one just in case. I knew what the
puzzle was as soon as all the letters came up! I had told my dad the night
before that the category “THING” was the hardest because they always do
abstract concepts, not an actual thing like a chair. Then Pat opened the envelope and I had won $30,000
more! $57,236 in less than 20 min! It felt so surreal.<br />
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<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<b>What
do we do with the money?<u1:p></u1:p></b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
We
started praying about what to do with the money but we mostly were hoping to
move into a bigger home. My husband was doing laundry on Saturdays
because I couldn't walk down the street w my 3 little kids toting a
heavy laundry basket and with lots of back pain ( I had back surgery several
years prior). We didn't have a yard or even a patio for my kids to
play outside. <o:p></o:p></div>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
On one
drive out looking at houses my husband all of a sudden said maybe we are
supposed to adopt. I couldn't believe it but I also knew those
words must have been inspired by God because it was so much on my heart. But
during our search we quickly realized that Santa Barbara CA real estate was way
out of our price range. We even looked at mobile homes and we couldn't even
afford that!<o:p></o:p></div>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
In the
meantime we also attended an adoption conference. There one speaker encouraged
us to not be afraid of what God might be calling us to do because of financial
reasons. You see we knew we could either buy a house or adopt internationally
(which we had always felt called to). So what were we supposed to do? We began
looking into foster care/adoption but quickly found out that because of our
current housing situation and because our youngest was not old enough, we did
not qualify for their program. We also started researching international
adoption. My husband is from Peru and we had always thought about adopting
there. It just seemed to make sense. We spoke the language and knew the
culture. As we began looking into the program we found out Peru was only
allowing special needs adoptions. That’s when we became open to special
needs orphans. I had worked in a special education day class and because of a
back injury had to quit. But I loved that job and loved working with children
with special needs. <o:p></o:p><u1:p></u1:p></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
So we
began to contact agencies that work with Peruvian adoptions. Through one
of the websites, we found Reece’s Rainbow and their grants for special needs adoptions,
specifically for children with Down syndrome. When I started browsing the
website with all those faces and profiles my heart was broken and stirred. Who
has the right to discard these babies; precious children made in God’s
image? I would browse those web pages for hours. There were two girls and
one boy that stood out to me in particular. But since we didn't have
a house and we had just received the money (after waiting about 7 months),
I wasn't sure if the timing was right.<o:p></o:p></div>
<u1:p></u1:p>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in;">
After a
couple of months I felt like God was challenging us to step out in faith.
George Muller did it. The money was sitting there. We knew if it was God’s will
He would provide the funds for a house and for the adoption. We didn't know
how, but we were ready to be surprised by Him again!<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
~Watch the Changing Lives segment at the end of Wheel of Fortune tonight to see what happened after I won!~<br />
<br />
Read Part 2 <a href="http://afamilyformaria.blogspot.com/2012/10/how-god-changes-lives-for-his-glory.html">here</a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-66595102723855988762012-10-21T22:16:00.002-07:002012-10-21T22:16:32.640-07:00Some changes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I haven't posted in awhile as we have a crazy life and it's hard to keep up. But I did want to post some notable changes we have seen in Maria before I forget.<br />
<br />
Around May or June, about 6-7 months home, Maria stopped speaking Russian. She transferred all of her Russian words into English. She now speaks more English than she ever did Russian. I don't think she wants to speak it. Sometimes we say some Russian words, but she doesn't want to speak it. She understands some words, but she definitely prefers English now.<br />
<br />
At the end of September, she seemed to be a little more weepy and clingy. I think she was grieving. In the adoption world, this happens at different times for each child. I'm not sure if there was a trigger, but I think it was as if she realized that everything is different now. She is now staying here and her old life is not coming back. I don't think she is sad, but I do think when your whole world changes, it can be upsetting. It only lasted about a week. We also saw some regression with potty issues. She started having accidents, so we had to put her back in diapers. She is showing some improvement again and is even initiating potty use, so that makes me feel happy for her progress.<br />
<br />
I am learning how to be an adoptive mom! Maria talks a lot, but she cannot tell me about the past or what she might be upset about. I do a lot of guessing and sometimes I read her all wrong! God has been answering my prayers to help me love her and meet her needs (because I don't always know what they are!)<br />
<br />
Our fall is busy! Here are the activities Maria is involved in: AYSO soccer, rhythm music class, Occupational Therapy, Awana, Bible Study fellowship and Sunday school. Maria doesn't go up to strangers to get their attention anymore. She stays close to mama and has shown that she feels safest with me. She now goes to three "bible classes" weekly along with her sister, and enjoys them all! And I haven't even mentioned what my other 3 kids are up to!<br />
<br />
The one behavior that has not changed has been her rocking. She rocks to get herself to sleep if she is awoken during the night or as she is coming out of sleep. She also rocks when she is bored. We are researching ways to help her. One thing that stands out is a lack of serotonin in her brain. This is caused by her needs not being met during the early part of her life (especially the first 10 months, with the added medical trauma). I also just found out that children with DS also have low serotonin. So we are looking into supplements to help her. We will also begin a new play-based developmental therapy that analyzes her behavior from many different angles and they will set up a therapy plan based on what the therapists observe and from my testimony.</div>
Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-40605579963736087722012-04-25T22:26:00.000-07:002012-10-21T22:28:23.896-07:00Maria's first reading lesson<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Last month I attended a workshop on teaching children with Down
syndrome how to read. It was fabulous. The presenter was Terry Brown and she has
created a curriculum based on her work. Her website is <a href="http://www.sohappytolearn.com/">www.sohappytolearn.com</a>. I have been reading the manual and gathering
materials and trying to balance life. But today was the day we started. I want
to document Maria’s progress so we can see how far she advances and celebrate
her accomplishments. Enjoy!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
Part 1: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S78X3mrMJ8o&feature=g-upl">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S78X3mrMJ8o&feature=g-upl</a><br />
<br />
Part 2: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyPIk9lvd8k&feature=g-upl">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyPIk9lvd8k&feature=g-upl</a> (I apologize for some reason the end gets cut off and the audio is noisy)</div>
</div>
Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-78600553232038314932012-04-25T15:07:00.002-07:002012-04-25T15:42:30.909-07:00Attachment<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
A few months ago, I had hoped to update everyone on how we
all were doing with attachment. It’s probably good that I didn’t write that
post during one of my emotional lows (thanks Hubby!) The truth is, it has been a very stressful
time. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Remember <a href="http://afamilyformaria.blogspot.com/b/post-preview?token=NVAn7TYBAAA.nU0cs1B9uNZEpZTuI79ZsQ.POObVGZCRw24IsA8Jz7dIg&postId=4748836918620994031&type=POST">the first time we met</a> Maria? I thought it was amazing how open she was to
us and how quickly she began to call us Mama and Dada. (We later found out "Dada was her way of saying the generic term for "man")</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
She actually responds this way to E.V.E.R.Y.O.N.E. This is
not healthy for children who do not understand the love of a family. I know lots of kids with DS are affectionate,
but if they are biological, they already come from a secure background- knowing
mommy and daddy love them and will provide for their needs.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have been working so hard to do things with Maria to form
trust between us. I rock her to sleep before nap and bedtime. She loves it! I do not leave her in the care of anyone
besides my husband and me. Sometimes I
swaddle her; sometimes I feed her from a bottle. Lately we have been doing aqua
therapy- the touch has been great for bonding. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Despite all of this, there would be moments that left me
feeling frustrated and angry that we really weren’t as bonded as I thought we
were. I remember one day at the park a
few months ago. She ran up to a woman stranger and threw her arms around her,
then reached up and asked her to pick her up.
I was so hurt and so furious at the same time. To me, it felt like all the effort I had put
in was worthless. I went over to her
and picked her up and told her “Mommy is here. If you need a hug, you can come
to Mommy.” The thing is, she rarely
comes up to me for a hug or for me to pick her up like she did the stranger. <br />
<br />
Something that I would have done differently had I known that Maria would be having attachment issues, is to hold off on any therapy until she was home 6 months. I know she has benefited from the therapy, but it has been so stressful for our family, I think we would have been better just getting to know her better and not adding in all the extra people to her life.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Maria has been home for 5 months now. Within the last few weeks I have seen some
very amazing signs that we are attaching better. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We went down to UCLA to have a sleep study done to see if
Maria has sleep apnea. When the nurse
came in to affix the suction cups and wires, Maria didn’t try to get her
attention and throw her arms around her. She actually looked at me with sad
eyes and told me she was scared. She looked for Mama for comfort! This is HUGE!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then the following week, we were at Physical Therapy. The therapist had Maria do some new things
that made her anxious. Again, she didn’t
throw herself on the therapist (like she used to do), but instead came to me
for a hug and encouragement. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Finally! There has been a breakthrough. I know it will just
get better with time, but I am praising God for what He has done so far and for
giving me hope to keep trusting. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Before: July 2011</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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After: April 2012</div>
</div>Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-37973536974394667842012-02-07T19:48:00.000-08:002012-02-07T19:57:43.595-08:00Maria's heart<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I had a bit of a rough night last night. I stayed up a little too late trying to get paperwork together for Maria’s doctor’s appointment today. Then I woke up in the wee hours of the morning startled from a bad dream. I had a dream I was in Russia, picking up Maria. My hubby wasn’t there with me, but my friend Kelly Dirkes* was. We went to pick up Maria and were surprised to find her biological father there playing with her. I started talking to him and he was acting very naturally as if he “knew” her. I asked him how many times he had visited her and he said once before. I really wanted to get more info from him about his background and especially wanted a photo of him. We decided to wait until her biological mother arrived to get a photo of both of them or all of us or whatever. While we were waiting for her, however, the “dad” said he had to go out for a minute and that he’d be back. Shortly after, the “mom” arrived and she was very stoic and uninterested. The “dad” never returned and I was so upset that I didn’t just snap a photo of him while he was there. Then I woke up.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So frustrating! Nothing in my dream was actually true. Her parents refused her at the hospital and never visited her. I think I daydream sometimes about what her parents might look like and so wish I had a photo of them. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCkMAwL453THOBxaH3AxaquDLD2oes9bcGKuLF5ve2_03j8bqDVZfDAnrLXD4AlOZ_QLL3zsKs6mW4mZtp6igJr_X3OOG6wsm8EslUlbu4f767viNnMQI9NSzzc0WNA_txp5bqrf_md4/s1600/IMG_1279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYCkMAwL453THOBxaH3AxaquDLD2oes9bcGKuLF5ve2_03j8bqDVZfDAnrLXD4AlOZ_QLL3zsKs6mW4mZtp6igJr_X3OOG6wsm8EslUlbu4f767viNnMQI9NSzzc0WNA_txp5bqrf_md4/s400/IMG_1279.JPG" width="264" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Our dancing queen: signing "dance"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVgbKQhZ2P_ZFgwtdfyH13UgGL_zmvPCxMpbVoNlL5WPVe_9d11l2LpON8UKgy5esF3eWoLgksYt4HdD6wu2dUhrD_aquNN8xaAFRyNn3zg8-2RQmHSuMg4HiQVYBEQClQyPFCvhsIB0/s1600/IMG_1293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNVgbKQhZ2P_ZFgwtdfyH13UgGL_zmvPCxMpbVoNlL5WPVe_9d11l2LpON8UKgy5esF3eWoLgksYt4HdD6wu2dUhrD_aquNN8xaAFRyNn3zg8-2RQmHSuMg4HiQVYBEQClQyPFCvhsIB0/s400/IMG_1293.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">At our local DS Association Valentine's Dinner/Dance: Maria with her friend Grace</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div class="MsoNormal">So despite my sleep-deprived state, I took Maria to the pediatric cardiologist today. She was a little nervous like she normally is at doctor’s offices, saying in Russian that she’s scared. The doctor did an ECG and an ultrasound. Her heart was repaired when she was 8 months old. I got tons of medical paperwork on gotcha day, but none of it was translated. I was able to get some of it translated, but I never did understand exactly what condition she had nor what type of surgery she had. Finally the doctor was able to explain it to me! She had Atrioventricular Canal Defect (ACD) which he said is the most common congenital heart condition for kids with Down syndrome. It is basically a large hole in the center of the heart. From what he saw, he said it was a very successful surgery and it should continue to hold up over time. Yay! We will have annual check-ups to make sure that this continues as she grows.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-iYP-aKge2B7lRER37Joi8-fH66avBhlduGqjUVMfeKugaTr8oGYK_R8qoV2LlYIJvhDJqloGWprCAkObSK49i83i003ltNmZ9QwOqcPR0Pv-JEOM6CXeuyvIf7M1l36hinG8gtaHAk/s1600/DSC03087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil-iYP-aKge2B7lRER37Joi8-fH66avBhlduGqjUVMfeKugaTr8oGYK_R8qoV2LlYIJvhDJqloGWprCAkObSK49i83i003ltNmZ9QwOqcPR0Pv-JEOM6CXeuyvIf7M1l36hinG8gtaHAk/s400/DSC03087.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Maria 2 1/2 months after heart surgery</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After the doctor we stopped to pick up some groceries. Today was a rainy day, so Maria had on her Disney Princess light up boots and her hooded rain jacket. As I started to get her out of her carseat, she was saying something to me in Russian that I didn’t recognize and was resisting getting out of the car. I think she was wary of going out in the rain! I’m sure in the orphanage they did not go out in the rain and if they did, I’m sure they wore a snowsuit. She was probably wondering why I didn’t even have a scarf for the poor girl. So I promised her a cookie at the store. I figure she only deserved it after braving the doctor and the rain. As soon as we entered, she started signing and asking me for “cheese”. Such a smart little stinker! They have started putting out cheese samples at Trader Joe’s and she remembered from last week! Then we went and tried the sample of the day, “falafels”. She was still not satisfied and kept asking for a “cookie”. So I started looking and found the perfect cookies: Lemon Heart Cookies. After purchasing them, dodging cars in the parking lot and avoiding puddles, I got her securely fastened in the car and started to leave. “Mama, cookie.” Oh yeah, I forgot! This “little cookie” has the BEST memory and not just for food! She retains things I only teach her once. She is really surprising us every day. (BTW- these cookies are SO good! They are like shortbread cookies and are light, crunchy, nutty and lemony-yum!)</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODEnFxZ8WOEx0q5gAc0byd-5QobgvLlmkvvL6Qxp6iZ6lT7mPS8CxXhQendsgQH2hWgUCYDBu5zxu9V7Z7t80fyad3kp0yzP7K_FcUtsgZvNuCRKW-k-b-SReaV1zIugeMRQgnpH9mWo/s1600/IMG_1319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODEnFxZ8WOEx0q5gAc0byd-5QobgvLlmkvvL6Qxp6iZ6lT7mPS8CxXhQendsgQH2hWgUCYDBu5zxu9V7Z7t80fyad3kp0yzP7K_FcUtsgZvNuCRKW-k-b-SReaV1zIugeMRQgnpH9mWo/s400/IMG_1319.JPG" width="400" /></a></div> Two weeks ago, the school psychologist did an evaluation on Maria and modeled a vertical and horizontal line and asked her to copy what she had done. Before then, all of her drawings had been circles. Today, she recalled the horizontal/vertical lines and spontaneously began recreating them!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3nXcpiBbNN3_wtmep9b7F3Xe9EgwSWe3D-vvN_Gc3v42Xe43h3LYAQMzrR2NKv0t1VtTComd3iKthRWgo4brVnoAo6kyH3FaDGAFFIPZAbleGomuPhfXdKaGzMZ6_faGXyoneXNDXLg/s1600/IMG_1323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3nXcpiBbNN3_wtmep9b7F3Xe9EgwSWe3D-vvN_Gc3v42Xe43h3LYAQMzrR2NKv0t1VtTComd3iKthRWgo4brVnoAo6kyH3FaDGAFFIPZAbleGomuPhfXdKaGzMZ6_faGXyoneXNDXLg/s400/IMG_1323.JPG" width="264" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Our budding artist</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">*I’m pretty sure Kelly was in my dream, because I am thinking about her! She and her husband Kyle left today for their court trip. Please say a prayer for them- I know how stressed and anxious I was before court! They are only about $5000 short of being fully funded and would be so blessed if you are interested in<a href="http://chasingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2011/10/covered-giveaway-to-bring-charlotte.html"> helping them bring Charlotte home</a>! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjOFzWPlYQGwAPtRzoFpO44_B0lFDWDWgcFezOkk1o140Yy7fHypwmS0svK2Sa3Wm9MmU4NVBlBjBLo1w_DQSdAbAOyto2-wYgA4LndfgPiHQ1JDGqmkeBE5sl2lObPjftcwQrUL2CgQ/s1600/DSC08046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYjOFzWPlYQGwAPtRzoFpO44_B0lFDWDWgcFezOkk1o140Yy7fHypwmS0svK2Sa3Wm9MmU4NVBlBjBLo1w_DQSdAbAOyto2-wYgA4LndfgPiHQ1JDGqmkeBE5sl2lObPjftcwQrUL2CgQ/s400/DSC08046.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">Best buddies, Charlotte and Maria entertaining the Dirkes in November</div></div>Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-48962178611687309532012-02-03T22:38:00.000-08:002012-02-03T22:50:58.250-08:003 month home update! Part 1<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Maria just continues to grow and thrive! She is learning new words and signs every day- she surprises us by her amazing memory retention. This girl imitates everything, has a great attention span and is eager to keep learning.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmTglkz5L45Pq1X3UPp6p58aAoNEDfHCAUdjClJPKF10gHt58idM7LLS1wD92TQVBCUOeAh-Q5qUgW08ZSSEe4U6QvlZd_Nsl6bXiv19YgZXVathndcezR7OSDDYkwsdycBANG9BGLy8/s1600/IMG_0830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMmTglkz5L45Pq1X3UPp6p58aAoNEDfHCAUdjClJPKF10gHt58idM7LLS1wD92TQVBCUOeAh-Q5qUgW08ZSSEe4U6QvlZd_Nsl6bXiv19YgZXVathndcezR7OSDDYkwsdycBANG9BGLy8/s320/IMG_0830.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The process to get doctor appointments and therapy has been quite drawn out since we have HMO and have to get referrals to everything. Besides the fact that we are newly navigating the world of special needs services. It also makes it more complicated because she didn’t receive early intervention (0-3 years) and wasn’t already in the system. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6n5HPOfCMmSMKn8Sc1dPryT11AWQILMXFydBxLhhwIncGBdtzAN5A8rvItjXHSBl9ktpDwfq3BfAuDntcFX5ZJg8aExkCUhGaPfsVPfDGgReH-O_xJjVv9V5o5V61H3lf3raRTTCDvs/s1600/IMG_1063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6n5HPOfCMmSMKn8Sc1dPryT11AWQILMXFydBxLhhwIncGBdtzAN5A8rvItjXHSBl9ktpDwfq3BfAuDntcFX5ZJg8aExkCUhGaPfsVPfDGgReH-O_xJjVv9V5o5V61H3lf3raRTTCDvs/s400/IMG_1063.JPG" width="264" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We are working on getting a Behavior Management program started for Potty Training! Should be starting next week! We thought Maria was somewhat potty trained at the orphanage, but since gotcha day, she has indicated very strong aversions to potty use. She has already shown lots of improvement, including using the “big” potty now, staying dry most of the day and even has asked to go “poo-poo” about 3-4 times this week. Seriously if you had told me last week that she would be ASKING to go poo poo this week, I would not have believed it- woohoo!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Yesterday we saw the pediatric ophthalmologist and we found out Maria’s vision is even more limited than our optometrist was able to see. However, since we have not been seeing any strabismus, he gave us a new prescription for half of the strength her lenses are now. This is because her current lenses are doing all of the focusing for her and it will be better long-term for her eyes to have their own focusing work. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9wJsWcwbR0I6B1GFZ9sK9YnV2_vmChJ6lH4sbm4PZhobH8ka1IwAdTbcqgAD2VRbIdNP5_6asW3XnVTcwMecuKGojJNzmq6h1COmhf3oqoevb2MKM0pu2qi9JgNxfspJLaqWphQCQ20/s1600/IMG_1210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid9wJsWcwbR0I6B1GFZ9sK9YnV2_vmChJ6lH4sbm4PZhobH8ka1IwAdTbcqgAD2VRbIdNP5_6asW3XnVTcwMecuKGojJNzmq6h1COmhf3oqoevb2MKM0pu2qi9JgNxfspJLaqWphQCQ20/s400/IMG_1210.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We also saw an ENT who followed up with her low hearing evaluation. Her hearing did fail the normal test in both ears but it could be due to her small ear canals. In the other tests performed, her hearing was adequate and she responded well to auditory cues, so we will follow up in 3 months. I asked the ENT about performing a sleep study because Maria is a restless sleeper and we just don’t know if there could be any sleep apnea, so I was pleased that she agreed to send out a referral. Our local sleep clinic doesn’t work with 4 year olds, so now we are waiting for a referral to UCLA. I am so excited about this because we will be working with a neurologist who specializes in Down syndrome. If our insurance approves <span style="font-family: Wingdings;">J</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: Wingdings;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCvY5m4iHI0enqLcFVgmTtyaPNMbGNqBFfRmQOv5m3ODx5J6FAX55UKKpqBCFg5woLFzDQ6mAiQK_3tI3hb-uVCoOZeZuyTrhGSYj3aobdtl5ohWTFxYlvukSylvmE5J2KlrQf23Q5HM/s1600/IMG_1124.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVCvY5m4iHI0enqLcFVgmTtyaPNMbGNqBFfRmQOv5m3ODx5J6FAX55UKKpqBCFg5woLFzDQ6mAiQK_3tI3hb-uVCoOZeZuyTrhGSYj3aobdtl5ohWTFxYlvukSylvmE5J2KlrQf23Q5HM/s400/IMG_1124.JPG" width="264" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Wingdings;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">We also were doing some Physical Therapy for about 4 weeks. I’m pretty sure Maria never was made to do anything she didn’t want to do at the orphanage. If the exercises became too much “work”, she would try to walk away or just sit down. She even would lay her head on the therapist’s lap and hug her. Unfortunately the therapist fell for this! There were two things wrong with this: 1. She was obviously trying to get out of the exercise by distracting the therapist with her cuteness and 2. I had already explained to the therapist that because we just adopted her, we are working on bonding and that we are teaching her to only hug mommy and daddy and to shake hands with “strangers and friends”. I did have to remind the therapist of the “rules” and the next time and after that, things went great! Maria has been getting stronger. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPYFJ8Z1FaU-lPhhEqoSrYbbk7fIQxXBzJ3HlLagJ5nfIGTTDb3nUQcY8Jnie9gapPRJnq-VQ0Bj9hOKo6B3dvnxPDCY_Z2B35i8N7qK3FePsdLudz2zBLrOP9R3ZvgfPZne_-1B_YcQ/s1600/IMG_1270.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhPYFJ8Z1FaU-lPhhEqoSrYbbk7fIQxXBzJ3HlLagJ5nfIGTTDb3nUQcY8Jnie9gapPRJnq-VQ0Bj9hOKo6B3dvnxPDCY_Z2B35i8N7qK3FePsdLudz2zBLrOP9R3ZvgfPZne_-1B_YcQ/s400/IMG_1270.JPG" width="264" /></a></div><br />
Maria grew 1 inch and lost 3 pounds! I was never allowed to know exactly what Maria ate on a regular basis, but from all of the photos I have of her, it is apparent that she was on a very high bread diet! We have been feeding her all sorts of healthy vegetables, fruits, legumes, meats, dairy and grains. She pretty much loves everything. She loves salad! Last night I gave her spinach salad with sprouts, mushrooms, tomatoes, cucumbers and carrots along with baked sweet potatoes and BBQ chicken. So far her least favorite foods are oatmeal and blueberries (but she will eat them!) We also give her a multivitamin, Omega-3, a probiotic and Vitamin D. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdQwzQrnanxpe4WwdOoiq5YGe8UBeYw37pj4jyjXrYw_VCan1MUp_wS0S0zwf8Mric09AQIRSnn2V0mt_84ERLfgFVobfSWYYrJ9mpZox2RnXL-FoXblWNJNyLHq7U-2DK3WCgwUf1qQ/s1600/IMG_1175.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkdQwzQrnanxpe4WwdOoiq5YGe8UBeYw37pj4jyjXrYw_VCan1MUp_wS0S0zwf8Mric09AQIRSnn2V0mt_84ERLfgFVobfSWYYrJ9mpZox2RnXL-FoXblWNJNyLHq7U-2DK3WCgwUf1qQ/s640/IMG_1175.JPG" width="423" /></a></div><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">On Tuesday, I met with the local school representatives for an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meeting. I was a little nervous, but it went very, very well. We would like to get in-home speech/language therapy and Occupational Therapy. They have a great inclusion preschool, but I know she needs more time at home to learn what a family means, so we declined the school offer. Besides, I home school my other kids and I truly believe Maria will do great learning alongside her siblings. The speech and language is a given, I think she will be receiving it twice a week. The OT, however, is serviced through the county and she will need to be evaluated first. This is the area where I feel Maria needs the most support and where I feel the least capable. She has already missed out on 4 years of OT. <br />
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I think Maria is starting to feel more settled lately. I told some friends that it seems like there is a 12 week milestone- so many improvements since the first weeks home. Thank you to so many of you who continue to lift us up in prayer. We still need just as much prayer now (maybe more) as we did before bringing her home. What an encouragement it has been when someone has said, "I've been praying for you." Especially when I didn't know they were!<br />
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Stay tuned for Part 2: Attachment and more!</div></div>Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-45561725244226018062011-12-30T01:15:00.000-08:002011-12-30T01:17:24.024-08:00Merry Christmas<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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We have been home with Maria almost 7 weeks now! Here are some of the things that have changed since coming home:<br />
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She can drink out of a cup without sticking her tongue out. Many children with DS have large tongues and tend to have issues with eating and drinking and thrusting their tongues out. Her orphanage did not know how to help her with this, but they did try to blame it on a circus monkey and told me she and all the other kids began drinking with their tongues out after seeing him do it.<br />
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She is no longer sleeping in the crib and waking up everyone with her rocking. We tried out the twin bottom bunk and she seems to like this bed much better and only once did we find her on the floor rocking. The first morning, she also got out of her room and went downstairs and turned on the CD player, which thankfully woke me when I heard it! We also put a safety thing on the inside knob of her bedroom door and she cannot get out now!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pZp6MaFZAUo/Tv0KGSigePI/AAAAAAAAAiM/oWz5LO-gmgU/s1600/IMG_0642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pZp6MaFZAUo/Tv0KGSigePI/AAAAAAAAAiM/oWz5LO-gmgU/s400/IMG_0642.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Don't bother me: I'm opening my presents!</div><br />
She is now using the big potty! Daddy was really not wanting to clean out any more child potty's and so on his insistence, helped her transition. In fact, yesterday she was dry all day. I just have to remember to take her at regular intervals. Although she seems to be able to hold it for a long time. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WDpOXAewcko/Tv0LrrWrUxI/AAAAAAAAAiY/NKQScItn4fM/s1600/IMG_0557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WDpOXAewcko/Tv0LrrWrUxI/AAAAAAAAAiY/NKQScItn4fM/s400/IMG_0557.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Her hair is getting longer! Which means it is easier for mama to get it into a cute pony with a clip or bow. I still can't understand how they chop these little girls' hair! It is so dehumanizing to me and yes there will be a blog post to celebrate the day I can braid her hair!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--wJxkAQ4LYo/Tv1-XCTcH4I/AAAAAAAAAj4/_idq3iE7kXo/s1600/IMG_0667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--wJxkAQ4LYo/Tv1-XCTcH4I/AAAAAAAAAj4/_idq3iE7kXo/s400/IMG_0667.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">I didn't get any photos of the kids dressed up on Christmas- just in their pajamas opening presents! <sigh></div><br />
She can climb the stairs alternating her feet, one stair per foot. We have been doing our own physical therapy where I encourage her to switch feet and not crawl up the stairs or slide down on her butt. She starts "real" therapy tomorrow!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-39xopS91n5A/Tv1XiLPSLyI/AAAAAAAAAik/CgW2lBrL5Oo/s1600/IMG_0317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-39xopS91n5A/Tv1XiLPSLyI/AAAAAAAAAik/CgW2lBrL5Oo/s400/IMG_0317.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2ScNcCaCKi8/Tv2ATRS9SBI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/iO1VOIdFziI/s1600/playing+at+beach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2ScNcCaCKi8/Tv2ATRS9SBI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/iO1VOIdFziI/s400/playing+at+beach.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">First time at the beach! Not sure if she loves playing more in the water or in the sand!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>She can speak and sign a ton of more words! She also has been speaking more in Russian- like full sentences! We never heard her speak this much before! I think it is because of all the interaction she gets here, especially with her VERY verbal family. I was reflecting on the fact that in her orphanage she was one of the only verbal children, so she probably did not get a lot of language stimulation. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xDClOXqc2e4/Tv1YF-mHdhI/AAAAAAAAAiw/4V8XYsV9OCs/s1600/IMG_0389.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xDClOXqc2e4/Tv1YF-mHdhI/AAAAAAAAAiw/4V8XYsV9OCs/s400/IMG_0389.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Making a Gingerbread House with friends</div><br />
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She is wearing glasses now and loves seeing life through her new lenses! She wore glasses a couple of times when we visited her at the orphanage, but we found out that the prescription was really weak- not even close to helping her! No wonder she always took them off. She keeps these ones on and gets very excited when I put them on her and claps her hands. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rDbgAWxpUUQ/Tv1gwNIqfnI/AAAAAAAAAi8/42Vrt-rST2k/s1600/IMG_0476.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rDbgAWxpUUQ/Tv1gwNIqfnI/AAAAAAAAAi8/42Vrt-rST2k/s400/IMG_0476.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our first family pet from a supporter of Maria's: they named him Luke Skywalker</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Some people have asked if we think she misses her friends or caregivers from the orphanage. I think in the first two weeks, there were a lot of changes for her and it was a bit of a shock to her. But I really don't think she misses orphanage life! She receives so much attention here! Playtime with her siblings, bath time, learning time, yummy, healthy food, outings to the park, zoo and other places and a mom and a dad who are always available for her to teach her and hug her and enjoy her. We have a photo album that the orphanage gave us and she doesn't react to seeing photos of her former caregivers. I think she "knows" it is different in a family, although I there is more bonding time needed with us before she completely understands what a mama and papa and a family are.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ogIvD31IVzA/Tv16jUZTWfI/AAAAAAAAAjs/o4_tWARA7Jc/s1600/IMG_0573.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ogIvD31IVzA/Tv16jUZTWfI/AAAAAAAAAjs/o4_tWARA7Jc/s400/IMG_0573.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Christmas Eve gifts: Pajamas and Webkinz</div><br />
I was very pleased when we received the psychologist report from Tri- Counties Regional Center. I was very apprehensive about reading it because I was worried they were going to classify her abilities based on developmental age and I really don't like them saying "oh your daughter's language is at a 20 month old age." I just want all the specialists to see her for who she is and not a diagnosis. Thank God they didn't use this method of classification! They described very well her abilities and used a mild/moderate/severe scale. <br />
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We have about 4 appointments scheduled with specialists for the month of January as we are wanting to get a thorough health picture so she can succeed and continue to thrive. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wUUCOARfM-o/Tv1iCq5qb7I/AAAAAAAAAjg/muKFpBKcVt8/s1600/IMG_0741.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wUUCOARfM-o/Tv1iCq5qb7I/AAAAAAAAAjg/muKFpBKcVt8/s400/IMG_0741.JPG" width="264" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Trying out the water wings in the jacuzzi for the first time </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Life is not perfect of course. Bringing a child who is already four years old who was in an orphanage, speaks Russian and has Down syndrome into our house has not been a breeze. But God keeps reminding me that He loves Maria so much that He sent His Son to die on a cross for her. And for me. And for you. So we will call upon Him for strength and forgiveness and love because He first loved us. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kPKRw0e-p3U/Tv1_Gpu2sJI/AAAAAAAAAkE/EaRHbxcOKVs/s1600/IMG_0406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-kPKRw0e-p3U/Tv1_Gpu2sJI/AAAAAAAAAkE/EaRHbxcOKVs/s320/IMG_0406.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Nativity scene by Diego<br />
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</div></div>Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-23571859938408511532011-12-06T23:47:00.000-08:002011-12-06T23:52:20.724-08:00Lots of firsts-3 weeks home<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I wasn't planning on writing a post, but it is really important to keep people updated with how we're doing and share all of the beautiful photos we have.<br />
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Maria is doing great! During her first 3 weeks home, we have had doctors visits and are working on getting her in-home therapies. She is learning so many new words and signs daily. She has been adapting very well to her new life and seems very flexible to all the change. <br />
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She sleeps well at night and daily naps for 2 hours. The only difficult behaviors we have been experiencing have been when she rocks herself very violently when she is between sleep cycles or is waking from her nap or in the morning. It is so loud it wakes us up and sounds like she is going to break the bed! We are hoping and praying that in time, she will be able to let us comfort her and not have to self-soothe so much. <br />
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<div style="text-align: left;">MARIA'S FIRST THANKSGIVING</div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Maria's hand print turkey</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Thank you Lord for bringing home Maria</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Thank you Lord for our children</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Thank you Lord for Pumpkin Pie</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>She is very independent and is used to doing what she wants. Sounds like typical four year old behavior, right? So we are reteaching a lot of behaviors to help her adjust to family life. She can get frustrated, but she is very easily redirected (much, much more easily than a 3 year old I know :)<br />
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MARIA'S FIRST TRIP TO THE ZOO<br />
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MARIA'S FIRST CHRISTMAS<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">First time putting ornaments on a tree</div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Merry Christmas!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Loving on my siblings</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Look who has their first stocking!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">All 7 stockings hung- The middle one is for Jesus- we write down our prayers/thanksgiving and put them in His stocking</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>I am pretty tired every day from the constant training and monitoring and care Maria requires right now. However, the other day I was rocking her before bedtime and my heart just overflowed with joy and I couldn't hold back the tears! I was singing "Jesus loves me" and when I sang the line "little ones to Him belong" the reality just hit! She is finally home! It was such a long, hard year, but I am so hopeful about what this next year holds for Maria. I can't imagine what this year would have done to her spirit if she had been transferred to the mental asylum, instead of coming home with us. I am in awe of the timing of this all- we made it to her, right before she would have been transferred. This fact is so present in my mind lately. And because Jesus loves her and she belongs to Him, He made a way for us to get to her so she could know Him and His love for her. This is what He has done for all of us, really!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">By this we know <b>LOVE</b>, because He laid down His life for us. 1 John 3:16</span></div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Playing dress-up: Incredible Maria-Hulk</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Maria in all her cuteness</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Times 2!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFcXEwfOWusdrMHa_vPW1D0CYz5LNP2RgyHZ-5bltif1IV0JejL9qBlTrT2-dSelnHy0DasAgcjmEtSOJugbPKVJcRIRAAINV3lzNHPIf60PbR1YOS47TCC6-gSEWk3m488XjHMsFt04/s1600/IMG_0067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRFcXEwfOWusdrMHa_vPW1D0CYz5LNP2RgyHZ-5bltif1IV0JejL9qBlTrT2-dSelnHy0DasAgcjmEtSOJugbPKVJcRIRAAINV3lzNHPIf60PbR1YOS47TCC6-gSEWk3m488XjHMsFt04/s320/IMG_0067.JPG" width="212" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Times 3!</div></div>Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-5941044439835744172011-11-20T23:05:00.000-08:002011-11-21T15:39:06.867-08:00Home at last<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">GOTCHA DAY</span></div><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">A difficult farewell<br />
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</div> Yes, I know she is signing "candy" instead of "apple". We've got it all straightened out now :)<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMg1gWHxa3zGB3bSsCJmEtLF314WcYQVSZR9XX2AECVsUYJHy28Da4Ee_oxtL1n1WC_Om1KVSM9hGzyccE7yVA9lRcH-MUIIYCSAsVxOkGi570AMPYjnhmVKROV-LAFHJ-9__sKrLDuc/s1600/100_7381.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGMg1gWHxa3zGB3bSsCJmEtLF314WcYQVSZR9XX2AECVsUYJHy28Da4Ee_oxtL1n1WC_Om1KVSM9hGzyccE7yVA9lRcH-MUIIYCSAsVxOkGi570AMPYjnhmVKROV-LAFHJ-9__sKrLDuc/s320/100_7381.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Maria's first bath with her new family</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOigKhzfobDaZYCAyP1-ioEcfGibJ-T18dLERQupSG0gayhaGT1XC9vTU9TGwPiyg5rjlYjZOHN4bqwoQmLQkfHED9MsGslYp0vuJTDErNJlTrIyIA7UjhR8hFu5ed8HOaNHw6rj6L2Q/s1600/100_7388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaOigKhzfobDaZYCAyP1-ioEcfGibJ-T18dLERQupSG0gayhaGT1XC9vTU9TGwPiyg5rjlYjZOHN4bqwoQmLQkfHED9MsGslYp0vuJTDErNJlTrIyIA7UjhR8hFu5ed8HOaNHw6rj6L2Q/s320/100_7388.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Trying out the new shoes/clothes</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikW3vyEYY_ceQYZZjHsL9fIHN6MKjQayy_ATbLAGW81Q1e_yn5avnKEnTETvkROjxdIKjmzH_t2hLYI2UXEz4ph8iy_DWc4CKSjfmgGbO_nQ_s_UEI11yaONgFKX8icevyLs36bCo3uGA/s1600/100_7391.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikW3vyEYY_ceQYZZjHsL9fIHN6MKjQayy_ATbLAGW81Q1e_yn5avnKEnTETvkROjxdIKjmzH_t2hLYI2UXEz4ph8iy_DWc4CKSjfmgGbO_nQ_s_UEI11yaONgFKX8icevyLs36bCo3uGA/s320/100_7391.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> At Doctor visit, Maria models how to check her puppy's heartbeat</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVwVfUWb6N1we6zVnDUksQLw-pDztGO42tWQR_t8iazYNc9zmGLl6GJGHThry-1BD2B-g8qHrKeaSK-FrVFHeAo_7JXpipJgRTjSlkbh3jsCqM4PBiJ2PQLzYfZssyMA7AzaSt4-GFHw/s1600/100_7393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUVwVfUWb6N1we6zVnDUksQLw-pDztGO42tWQR_t8iazYNc9zmGLl6GJGHThry-1BD2B-g8qHrKeaSK-FrVFHeAo_7JXpipJgRTjSlkbh3jsCqM4PBiJ2PQLzYfZssyMA7AzaSt4-GFHw/s320/100_7393.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> When I am eating, I am very happy</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9R0pV6NJbmvjHcouzRFX104f1m9Gg_sD4MBRCX4L2zI2-PI-lb0JbrJNgofdQe5qgBIZ9psM-SolGqFaoQN6du6jaQR8FFW6NoMTSEHX6nS1BFL9CeP47NXYzR90sysfOtvDq_mYrAY/s1600/100_7409.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_9R0pV6NJbmvjHcouzRFX104f1m9Gg_sD4MBRCX4L2zI2-PI-lb0JbrJNgofdQe5qgBIZ9psM-SolGqFaoQN6du6jaQR8FFW6NoMTSEHX6nS1BFL9CeP47NXYzR90sysfOtvDq_mYrAY/s320/100_7409.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Mommy helps me relax for a nap</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZh9VHzs8YoYY4Vhgvm-bpGonChQRbFwmDF10jMkFXGtBWerTGQeZvYME25w0tNJtD0iwUX3peem0Szs4MQGP_cjAAr9eZMVafx8UVY65HY0QzqzJWL3SX6aawZ3CHwEd_oBgWTYykXr4/s1600/100_7411.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZh9VHzs8YoYY4Vhgvm-bpGonChQRbFwmDF10jMkFXGtBWerTGQeZvYME25w0tNJtD0iwUX3peem0Szs4MQGP_cjAAr9eZMVafx8UVY65HY0QzqzJWL3SX6aawZ3CHwEd_oBgWTYykXr4/s320/100_7411.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Thank you Katie for knitting my hat and scarf!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMmv8N20J8Bqp1gaVh6LeD-P-FaiqV9MS2CvKKyKrBwzzWMCC7DjVIpZCOYxDK_ekWo9szKiKSG0D3dHN-rWB-Zce94UCwFh9ce19EWJ6GQAGlw3l_PlnqB8DsqsrE-h_qdCn4Um61Bc/s1600/100_7419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcMmv8N20J8Bqp1gaVh6LeD-P-FaiqV9MS2CvKKyKrBwzzWMCC7DjVIpZCOYxDK_ekWo9szKiKSG0D3dHN-rWB-Zce94UCwFh9ce19EWJ6GQAGlw3l_PlnqB8DsqsrE-h_qdCn4Um61Bc/s320/100_7419.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Trying on sister's hat. Yes, we are in "love"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiFjCArDsHvPkmL6a_WgYgjropGlRon9IYUgKspGPbjlzvgEQbOGIdlTZxKDY_mSTxAzt8ojYmfGazz6okcWNkaHdvLjHw71zQlhesR6tf9XANntGnib2GdhMbOG14N2qrjPGxdg-KrHU/s1600/100_7439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiFjCArDsHvPkmL6a_WgYgjropGlRon9IYUgKspGPbjlzvgEQbOGIdlTZxKDY_mSTxAzt8ojYmfGazz6okcWNkaHdvLjHw71zQlhesR6tf9XANntGnib2GdhMbOG14N2qrjPGxdg-KrHU/s320/100_7439.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Learning "Twinkle, twinkle little star"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMc0YLjDEWmo2AyPf244eTctKh9g8IFzouvU9aJd2xr8wXCdiNPEOMotNvhxp6AN8EvjH-SfDvzk5N7bdcgx2PGg1DYCBTLrduAw3HxJdO2vnP0fAzFxzUfA0e0v-J0T13myfUaGeiNu4/s1600/100_7444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMc0YLjDEWmo2AyPf244eTctKh9g8IFzouvU9aJd2xr8wXCdiNPEOMotNvhxp6AN8EvjH-SfDvzk5N7bdcgx2PGg1DYCBTLrduAw3HxJdO2vnP0fAzFxzUfA0e0v-J0T13myfUaGeiNu4/s320/100_7444.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Out for a walk in the snow</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Gj-fP9F_gNcZXYsUfgxtebcwTlJxyLNL1gZTu-KNTrYNXlt1FE_lsgNq1VyZ2npBTzzmzpOO2SRPQGAAfGZYp_c4gTG_LFHzVDr0D4nxDYT-Qqss4iKKEjOYNI2K4XdTukzCrm6DY-c/s1600/100_7451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4Gj-fP9F_gNcZXYsUfgxtebcwTlJxyLNL1gZTu-KNTrYNXlt1FE_lsgNq1VyZ2npBTzzmzpOO2SRPQGAAfGZYp_c4gTG_LFHzVDr0D4nxDYT-Qqss4iKKEjOYNI2K4XdTukzCrm6DY-c/s320/100_7451.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGt_ncX-h0xwOrTiEXc-n5MDWzL0BEj6Qk8tR1LUN-lrji9MxtkYTLAr_RWpOqlYMAOORrOSz99PyxbxUuaxKikpCwerlXg91BbPWUmh18QeE4grVS4IWXO25R8jfeNytgy1l3S_6-mE/s1600/100_7478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGt_ncX-h0xwOrTiEXc-n5MDWzL0BEj6Qk8tR1LUN-lrji9MxtkYTLAr_RWpOqlYMAOORrOSz99PyxbxUuaxKikpCwerlXg91BbPWUmh18QeE4grVS4IWXO25R8jfeNytgy1l3S_6-mE/s320/100_7478.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Packed and ready to go home!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">HEADING HOME</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6Z6J-CvcCk3VpSQWi3Ostzetdit6Y8nlGmxqRqCiWCTbWA-ToWhPKjCGDaXIvvOvXt9ijrubcvwJ0kcCzPhPBXWdTRdqw01MOEEsaO6G8bfW25EBtCnbCm-nCZX2YyuRxv6Ln-x155U/s1600/100_7484.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr6Z6J-CvcCk3VpSQWi3Ostzetdit6Y8nlGmxqRqCiWCTbWA-ToWhPKjCGDaXIvvOvXt9ijrubcvwJ0kcCzPhPBXWdTRdqw01MOEEsaO6G8bfW25EBtCnbCm-nCZX2YyuRxv6Ln-x155U/s320/100_7484.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Homecoming outfit</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4Ym_7JLdPzlZXJrfkDZOlqIvRx-lnsxP5jtUJoMZ8UOqXhDQpTzgu9nJTvFBRhLPJC51awVkpu9g3HwMqQYCjseYd1Mwt-XF9fbZmlqtSDdakGHdcvYld3RCjKy7jgwdmInrVM-ScF4/s1600/maria+and+gigi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA4Ym_7JLdPzlZXJrfkDZOlqIvRx-lnsxP5jtUJoMZ8UOqXhDQpTzgu9nJTvFBRhLPJC51awVkpu9g3HwMqQYCjseYd1Mwt-XF9fbZmlqtSDdakGHdcvYld3RCjKy7jgwdmInrVM-ScF4/s1600/maria+and+gigi.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Finally home- thank you Wilcox family for the warm welcome!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">NEW LIFE</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnR2dceQnToywiuG-ncK2WACGXI1_zjqlpgodXPhOI_eXTIWvbjbZpT5zJLIElHaQXfksWMYHAX4gwlcbCVoN6hH4dM2t5wOlH9GDXlfZYRhbSLecXBlWRXAC6NZP7tLoXBpJ8LgA1r0/s1600/100_7517.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcnR2dceQnToywiuG-ncK2WACGXI1_zjqlpgodXPhOI_eXTIWvbjbZpT5zJLIElHaQXfksWMYHAX4gwlcbCVoN6hH4dM2t5wOlH9GDXlfZYRhbSLecXBlWRXAC6NZP7tLoXBpJ8LgA1r0/s320/100_7517.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> I love my new playhouse</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35kvYatBDcfO7BiITsn873xazGZHGDrcjfqcFmQLL8113RN5Gk8tmAf1yV0ZZn_KoHK48YaxNHTgYnGJ452G7mTako8NSJSgbbYFIOmcG9p3TIEUtBgvkW5kmA7J6P808W3VT4xXxmGo/s1600/100_7526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35kvYatBDcfO7BiITsn873xazGZHGDrcjfqcFmQLL8113RN5Gk8tmAf1yV0ZZn_KoHK48YaxNHTgYnGJ452G7mTako8NSJSgbbYFIOmcG9p3TIEUtBgvkW5kmA7J6P808W3VT4xXxmGo/s320/100_7526.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Maria reading her Bible</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5SHUpoENjnCZPlt8yhUZFC818ayfnGoaU602q56GRP53NV6MHxsi80IkpgwHpQeKDVDmpULoTwg2hYH3wzHxnTMDOMvjhjPwcBUxTe5A_ZcH3zZHaKLnyGTvhDyA4TtFw2QAYSf_QbY/s1600/100_7564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5SHUpoENjnCZPlt8yhUZFC818ayfnGoaU602q56GRP53NV6MHxsi80IkpgwHpQeKDVDmpULoTwg2hYH3wzHxnTMDOMvjhjPwcBUxTe5A_ZcH3zZHaKLnyGTvhDyA4TtFw2QAYSf_QbY/s320/100_7564.JPG" width="238" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> First American pizza!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_Rdv9NsjaAyl2xT_ZTELxNnh8FvP9nS0cYSrD8CzcQR9dNMouOkVZibpNnTifxsaFnYDJqMjRPmvDcLDJOXqQ5Ir0MOmSbNrdbYclL2tLHlvN87Q6DNHN-XxR5ZeUsYSZoJWLRKsWFg/s1600/100_7583.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje_Rdv9NsjaAyl2xT_ZTELxNnh8FvP9nS0cYSrD8CzcQR9dNMouOkVZibpNnTifxsaFnYDJqMjRPmvDcLDJOXqQ5Ir0MOmSbNrdbYclL2tLHlvN87Q6DNHN-XxR5ZeUsYSZoJWLRKsWFg/s320/100_7583.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Playing with Daddy</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_IAdB_i72UUspMrr5EdA_alEPAOcN1C0qYvnjf0NPg3klvMf88CAzTGYjd5Ezkm_VmWX9HNRAcbiqS3QqUkQJhyphenhyphenTFSBnDl38pQleInXY_UU9vAEPJGvzTnNEioaROuauRFCXK0Wyzq0/s1600/100_7600.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs_IAdB_i72UUspMrr5EdA_alEPAOcN1C0qYvnjf0NPg3klvMf88CAzTGYjd5Ezkm_VmWX9HNRAcbiqS3QqUkQJhyphenhyphenTFSBnDl38pQleInXY_UU9vAEPJGvzTnNEioaROuauRFCXK0Wyzq0/s320/100_7600.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Check out my fine motor skills: I can lace beads! I can also take off my blanket sleeper and diaper, so now mommy has to put it on backwards so I can't reach the zipper!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxafwcKtzlJiYpb6UGlUC3NlE4qRPoU_HPzgfTW3ebJ0SdnUfUxd9OVRkqv23k8CohsMfCNxCiumKhWqYIUmA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6UqlDrJsa0aSzdaYgYg9wwec0-MeSvy-qcsN9I4lpsPg_C19wfMYHIS-4F1dDIoPd2AquO9RAjPeMUoTUTqBso0DVqejRFknY91luxE-jc4xacVYrPpx0FuDk37DBDe_1KH_zBWLX_g/s1600/100_7603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM6UqlDrJsa0aSzdaYgYg9wwec0-MeSvy-qcsN9I4lpsPg_C19wfMYHIS-4F1dDIoPd2AquO9RAjPeMUoTUTqBso0DVqejRFknY91luxE-jc4xacVYrPpx0FuDk37DBDe_1KH_zBWLX_g/s320/100_7603.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Do you like my Thanksgiving hair clips? So much to be thankful for...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As my 5 year old son told me today, "I'm so glad we got Maria before someone else got her." </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Me too :)</div><br />
</div>Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-59718172968534969482011-10-30T18:43:00.000-07:002011-10-30T22:26:11.757-07:00Court trip summary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I made a list of all the blog posts I wanted to write while we were on our last trip. The truth is, I've been sick since the last day of our trip, jet-lagged and trying to get ready to leave again in 6 days! We never really adjusted to the time change while there and the smog is so terrible, it made me sick! Neither of us have seen traffic this terrible. We must have been in traffic for 2- 2 1/2 hours each way, bumper to bumper, breathing in car exhaust. My husband says I should just post pics cause that's what people want to see anyway!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK9qpfBDTdCbq8xemnvZSO8Z8JDebeYFcpjtqMghDQFuxboBkIDU7wu8lCg-vB4MR-pl8RNpHwvAGYss7YwYwNS23b-nuwmplCByhSTBs1LJzCNFEZH5A-z9cbxZckAkiCkFadxiMWIOI/s1600/100_7079.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK9qpfBDTdCbq8xemnvZSO8Z8JDebeYFcpjtqMghDQFuxboBkIDU7wu8lCg-vB4MR-pl8RNpHwvAGYss7YwYwNS23b-nuwmplCByhSTBs1LJzCNFEZH5A-z9cbxZckAkiCkFadxiMWIOI/s320/100_7079.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We brought the same purse as last time with the toys she loved. This time we added a play cellphone and it was a big hit. I also kept trying to put a clip in her hair. She would pull it out and throw it. Oh, I will win this battle eventually :)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwex5Gqe2RdoLbf7NEd0dhDvPB6arw496p1-ebWLlD73PuWNcYcI-JYxibTvVMZynGmfS3B2mvJkayxd2FvhrU-9IFIqLcogDYWp10090C2OXcYcVJEMQFpSjRAfbbQkuGIarNjTYsOn4/s1600/100_7078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwex5Gqe2RdoLbf7NEd0dhDvPB6arw496p1-ebWLlD73PuWNcYcI-JYxibTvVMZynGmfS3B2mvJkayxd2FvhrU-9IFIqLcogDYWp10090C2OXcYcVJEMQFpSjRAfbbQkuGIarNjTYsOn4/s320/100_7078.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Maria does NOT like to pose for photos. She is trying to get away as fast as she can!</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3lpETN4aTZmlqt4zP858-5Y_OYrxCR835Dws2aruLh-ZpMFJbbjEBBWuwTwY7RIrlWBlR102l9fMn0a87Ryc6YaiX9MP9Vo-lwLeB1qcGgRuJjH1Zdg99GlAnkxd6s6BG5Ly8iHiYjA/s1600/100_7085.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH3lpETN4aTZmlqt4zP858-5Y_OYrxCR835Dws2aruLh-ZpMFJbbjEBBWuwTwY7RIrlWBlR102l9fMn0a87Ryc6YaiX9MP9Vo-lwLeB1qcGgRuJjH1Zdg99GlAnkxd6s6BG5Ly8iHiYjA/s320/100_7085.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> She LOVES to brush mommy's hair. New meaning to "Tangled."</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkPtKkENsFaIjkvB-8Pqtq739zdQ4tpASmje4eMnUiPdPaeh2YJ3wdkpqQZYCFdpOlUkgjnWFYPN32GP1dQp1klLdr9D5Nf61I-4SOQ7YG0UwtAYvz88NofqgDUG_3hu5P0mf4lh5NAc/s1600/100_7088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOkPtKkENsFaIjkvB-8Pqtq739zdQ4tpASmje4eMnUiPdPaeh2YJ3wdkpqQZYCFdpOlUkgjnWFYPN32GP1dQp1klLdr9D5Nf61I-4SOQ7YG0UwtAYvz88NofqgDUG_3hu5P0mf4lh5NAc/s320/100_7088.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> "Hello?"</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JdKJgpBLfrbYtmvHwuot5pXTJjCOgsQoUtX1moqht5ekX59pohLiJ7KGlnv-F40KAI5nC8E30NpEwLTGG6LeCSvnjLNBMx_4KvL8B6aPi_WyHw5-adWIPAMLZsfduXVPmdxmtfPS5zE/s1600/100_7089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JdKJgpBLfrbYtmvHwuot5pXTJjCOgsQoUtX1moqht5ekX59pohLiJ7KGlnv-F40KAI5nC8E30NpEwLTGG6LeCSvnjLNBMx_4KvL8B6aPi_WyHw5-adWIPAMLZsfduXVPmdxmtfPS5zE/s320/100_7089.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Maria and our driver/translator/landlord, Vladimir</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMPghBWef6aHN8ps9Mi8NqDvDJBeudvFFZtGyZN8srFgN4dwG4uD54ORdMY8Kq8ubqx6RfzlLkSp6uvl6yQ54_z4JzPzFQThJ9O23qbkKMOr8EeMOTG6J5uRpAZi0JX5CMpLum_26y1Q/s1600/100_7118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMPghBWef6aHN8ps9Mi8NqDvDJBeudvFFZtGyZN8srFgN4dwG4uD54ORdMY8Kq8ubqx6RfzlLkSp6uvl6yQ54_z4JzPzFQThJ9O23qbkKMOr8EeMOTG6J5uRpAZi0JX5CMpLum_26y1Q/s320/100_7118.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> This is really fun, mama. Uh oh, this phone's ringtone is getting old...</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvn56v_sO8BRZVv0UtydNUfX31BPfZsPwtj9ZLqAcs4BVgSINAncAKNWrFaa7-Da0NpgGfkQBgBhPJtuMimFH-fbiYGpadZUjBwy9UI-TJbms0SRObdcPqJ2Cr3vJx1OS0QgalIyUURuY/s1600/100_7119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvn56v_sO8BRZVv0UtydNUfX31BPfZsPwtj9ZLqAcs4BVgSINAncAKNWrFaa7-Da0NpgGfkQBgBhPJtuMimFH-fbiYGpadZUjBwy9UI-TJbms0SRObdcPqJ2Cr3vJx1OS0QgalIyUURuY/s320/100_7119.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> I see beautician in her future</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikXZmOMt6CKU5jHCrPDv29p5rNmJffnna9MlxYMmCQ4ZWCntvf2PotsH1YSqEd6gpwZmGfgfMbqJvenEe1m0MAmmmbodJ_N1R6poWDCjDT6MzomAKArDVy-jhSIJXOGYqaWfXwX-v0Z5w/s1600/100_7127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikXZmOMt6CKU5jHCrPDv29p5rNmJffnna9MlxYMmCQ4ZWCntvf2PotsH1YSqEd6gpwZmGfgfMbqJvenEe1m0MAmmmbodJ_N1R6poWDCjDT6MzomAKArDVy-jhSIJXOGYqaWfXwX-v0Z5w/s320/100_7127.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Fall in Maria's country= new winter wardrobe for me. When we left our home, it was in the 80's.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQMAAu7Rf6P4MkhrCRTsbWyxUg6hF9LelLT1OWG9TURi6HPyHwLvWP-1usG5NAO2Czp0NLBuaIyFG1YDUK5ELh1jmvCJtHBjCyUAY_TuMbTXcM2ebR48ez_rTsjb2rZS5g-_C-SlCKcA/s1600/100_7128.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQMAAu7Rf6P4MkhrCRTsbWyxUg6hF9LelLT1OWG9TURi6HPyHwLvWP-1usG5NAO2Czp0NLBuaIyFG1YDUK5ELh1jmvCJtHBjCyUAY_TuMbTXcM2ebR48ez_rTsjb2rZS5g-_C-SlCKcA/s320/100_7128.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> We got to meet Juliana Moreno- Orphan no more!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjOfa_VAH1xmEWFtlS4dWkfOE8SyMRl8iCjB-dBWi8z60ZEHreEU05pgKKaOi0kcdoNTXIG4hOnSLrYotinwaGwUMUQa_dzI0uEXcPxdfdgnTuvbCk_cs9xxctrl1SknpFaGQc4YnhL4/s1600/100_7136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidjOfa_VAH1xmEWFtlS4dWkfOE8SyMRl8iCjB-dBWi8z60ZEHreEU05pgKKaOi0kcdoNTXIG4hOnSLrYotinwaGwUMUQa_dzI0uEXcPxdfdgnTuvbCk_cs9xxctrl1SknpFaGQc4YnhL4/s320/100_7136.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> And meeting Ashley and Gus was pretty awesome too! Their adoption took almost 2 years. Bless them for their faithfulness to follow God's call, despite the circumstances. And she is the author of Ashley's Almost-Famous Key Lime Pie, which many people here bought and enjoyed to support our adoption.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikanZGZ2LpvPGQPgXnSdetmJMX5B_0eW90-xp6a3b88P5uWJ6A3hGICHpGTrzOwDkBxkRvCt_pdgWJoKn-O2_TNVZ5FT9ba0FsdVJ6f5-SkXDQSePLTD4yEhq3CenaFxkkRfY-QMDezIc/s1600/100_7138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikanZGZ2LpvPGQPgXnSdetmJMX5B_0eW90-xp6a3b88P5uWJ6A3hGICHpGTrzOwDkBxkRvCt_pdgWJoKn-O2_TNVZ5FT9ba0FsdVJ6f5-SkXDQSePLTD4yEhq3CenaFxkkRfY-QMDezIc/s320/100_7138.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Maria loves to color. I think they do lessons at this little table because every day they would bring her into this room, she would walk straight over to the table and begin her "lesson."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEukYBnFU9N8RQwWVRvgL8lGWHX5KtQ26tJyQENM12_OesQaMRHe4xKBQdlrLALPsbT5Wrwkrd0rE-3-4WWT2bjFS1mHZiFQO4VbFZABsCJjgsem4WcHeglr0aikNlEGO-Db2gx3FrJes/s1600/100_7139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEukYBnFU9N8RQwWVRvgL8lGWHX5KtQ26tJyQENM12_OesQaMRHe4xKBQdlrLALPsbT5Wrwkrd0rE-3-4WWT2bjFS1mHZiFQO4VbFZABsCJjgsem4WcHeglr0aikNlEGO-Db2gx3FrJes/s320/100_7139.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Playing peek-a-boo in a tunnel. She loves this alphabet picture book and names all the objects in the pictures. We bought her one like it to enjoy on the flight home. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhY1dCc5SnvnIjt2VkeV9_YusfpmZvuCD7xywT_rPEN2JPrh7h_sw7X8J1UA9GjAbqnBJUcMMHoBB6gCW5mdz_yDRovnDtiyke9o1fWYm06Z2Ii-zZlZ3ENOmggeVuJLP7OXWmw1nZ84/s1600/100_7155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijhY1dCc5SnvnIjt2VkeV9_YusfpmZvuCD7xywT_rPEN2JPrh7h_sw7X8J1UA9GjAbqnBJUcMMHoBB6gCW5mdz_yDRovnDtiyke9o1fWYm06Z2Ii-zZlZ3ENOmggeVuJLP7OXWmw1nZ84/s320/100_7155.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Enjoying outside playtime. Yes, it was this cold to be this bundled up.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7wDDy-YAWqoBqqeLxpes0Yk8In4mkuJJwlFh60HkPsXvPeHMFkUTE8XLMhUPAD5X6Lc96ZkBKcHxXPwg_Ebl7OZE3NiNpx4o_wc4IMJ8c1d3Jg0snkqPsPfF_QNxO260CJv4geKDvqXw/s1600/100_7159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7wDDy-YAWqoBqqeLxpes0Yk8In4mkuJJwlFh60HkPsXvPeHMFkUTE8XLMhUPAD5X6Lc96ZkBKcHxXPwg_Ebl7OZE3NiNpx4o_wc4IMJ8c1d3Jg0snkqPsPfF_QNxO260CJv4geKDvqXw/s320/100_7159.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Sightseeing at a place overlooking the river. Wedding parties come here to celebrate and toast the occasion. We saw about 5 wedding parties here.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_PMubOs3s9Vh9Hr9OQBJRPB-c4HSiwh1TgRd9ubI5Ui_Up1SvlPKYY7H7r9YjIXhqRmEfr1PJMElWtfN9SdRE5Kw_QCoeydsj3j-D3djyHiFvx6RhTU47Exl5CRSaJzaSquwxrXf0qM/s1600/100_7160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_PMubOs3s9Vh9Hr9OQBJRPB-c4HSiwh1TgRd9ubI5Ui_Up1SvlPKYY7H7r9YjIXhqRmEfr1PJMElWtfN9SdRE5Kw_QCoeydsj3j-D3djyHiFvx6RhTU47Exl5CRSaJzaSquwxrXf0qM/s320/100_7160.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibHyphhoONX5ENSpDfwnGLOFjZGwayYVxRjqnwwoES0bmp47zY-uSFUrCANRDX91sX2HtvX0pkkPqq-UfhNWMskWE5MNtaxFv4eUCV86JSL8sN4tx3E2Gnac-zpqCEXXa1Yi2zGVovBYI/s1600/100_7167.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibHyphhoONX5ENSpDfwnGLOFjZGwayYVxRjqnwwoES0bmp47zY-uSFUrCANRDX91sX2HtvX0pkkPqq-UfhNWMskWE5MNtaxFv4eUCV86JSL8sN4tx3E2Gnac-zpqCEXXa1Yi2zGVovBYI/s320/100_7167.JPG" width="240" /></a></div> Orthodox Cathedral- Our Savior Jesus Christ. Funny story here. I noticed all the women covering their heads before they entered, so I hastily threw my scarf over my head. As we entered through the metal detector the guard yelled at us no camera, no flash and then at my husband, no cap! We didn't understand and were like, what? No cap! What? NO CAP!!!!! He got louder and more animated each time and we finally realized, my husband (who is bald) was wearing a beanie and that is a no-no. So take note, friends. Women: cover your head, Men: Don't you DARE cover your head- Got it straight?! Very beautiful paintings inside and live choir in balcony. Amazing voices!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDOFCxrhKtx3JM_Fnuy0Ea0y__wWYj0Vzw5jjjLZTfrDI5-wIq8Zf0OnKkddwIMdd9OtmePZkGqE7eYCqbM_Z_jQmL9uyrxVJLUWuFYScTQsH_fre8D27N71vVu1If2ZBbsPvYWoSOR0/s1600/100_7174.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVDOFCxrhKtx3JM_Fnuy0Ea0y__wWYj0Vzw5jjjLZTfrDI5-wIq8Zf0OnKkddwIMdd9OtmePZkGqE7eYCqbM_Z_jQmL9uyrxVJLUWuFYScTQsH_fre8D27N71vVu1If2ZBbsPvYWoSOR0/s320/100_7174.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Old Arbat Street. Souvenir shopping and people watching. Many women dress very elegantly and lots of high heeled boots. Many wear mini-skirts too. I had a knee-length down jacket. I like to be warm :)</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjoLyRPHoGV4sTfbkKiyeA1VyXuB9epoYGmSXj9NAS1CEQ5ENmUdQ7JYj5DCTYYraE-OEyGc59vrB5njEgfIb8i-bNcF3Sm1dH_jTymG6ARW5OdJXMFGXkFUAAfeBm7fn1IDNS4LlEJSI/s1600/100_7185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjoLyRPHoGV4sTfbkKiyeA1VyXuB9epoYGmSXj9NAS1CEQ5ENmUdQ7JYj5DCTYYraE-OEyGc59vrB5njEgfIb8i-bNcF3Sm1dH_jTymG6ARW5OdJXMFGXkFUAAfeBm7fn1IDNS4LlEJSI/s320/100_7185.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Visiting our host family's church. He is the pastor of the church and our new neighbor's brother. His son translated the entire sermon for us. Lilia helped translate a little. She is studying Spanish and was practicing with us. </div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tcZ3Hn7LyTkNN3Bt7k7FEGato0MKP7sTDQ4DV1C8b0JHaTQ0bViq5vdiwlokzZTRnoIiC9ivw5Qd7ugdzDsKjMn7z8h5HRhG7V4t9KTkZ8tS5U_ICcVke5gOI09_hznUsk68HB0PkKU/s1600/100_7191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4tcZ3Hn7LyTkNN3Bt7k7FEGato0MKP7sTDQ4DV1C8b0JHaTQ0bViq5vdiwlokzZTRnoIiC9ivw5Qd7ugdzDsKjMn7z8h5HRhG7V4t9KTkZ8tS5U_ICcVke5gOI09_hznUsk68HB0PkKU/s320/100_7191.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Maria is signing "more". Her nurses have never seen signing used with children with Down syndrome before. They have asked me to bring them materials to learn sign to use with the children. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnqpoJ7TWRbPynzai2cV1kQynuLbVvuXR3wTTwU68TWd-Awym_7Yr3RYw5U7d7W6NmbzYyZB6H5xjs0q9mDAx5Wl6foAV5VMnd54OjkO_ZZddH2K4Tk876YoCnNlG5Yy2Gwkry1sdZxk/s1600/100_7219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnqpoJ7TWRbPynzai2cV1kQynuLbVvuXR3wTTwU68TWd-Awym_7Yr3RYw5U7d7W6NmbzYyZB6H5xjs0q9mDAx5Wl6foAV5VMnd54OjkO_ZZddH2K4Tk876YoCnNlG5Yy2Gwkry1sdZxk/s320/100_7219.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> On the way to Maria's orphanage, there is this restaurant called Mt. Ararat and on the other side, it is shaped like Noah's Ark.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCejOBDkSgDSXDCOFlq307ifgjnRW5o8GMZrDAoMjkuqjjy7kkc_Zy7UjWPijSks_Me0bX9TSaSotRvxkg0qerMlEjXpvs9FjlfBtLpqLjRbQuVItRPL-6rGxDIU34w50korJeVOFblIk/s1600/100_7227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCejOBDkSgDSXDCOFlq307ifgjnRW5o8GMZrDAoMjkuqjjy7kkc_Zy7UjWPijSks_Me0bX9TSaSotRvxkg0qerMlEjXpvs9FjlfBtLpqLjRbQuVItRPL-6rGxDIU34w50korJeVOFblIk/s320/100_7227.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Another restaurant shaped as a castle.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjGCceFWXiI_jPU_SE2RjxJ1z-IAbyWtfPWUYrWHqR8nyI6yEkJKxLXJIezjsLqI9ZCS8r-3a_tdELGU1zp2LkdVnIiib4TpI-Zo6a-MoIs_umIQH2zoA1DNrUtPACVswLvlSoIghZGY/s1600/100_7235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTjGCceFWXiI_jPU_SE2RjxJ1z-IAbyWtfPWUYrWHqR8nyI6yEkJKxLXJIezjsLqI9ZCS8r-3a_tdELGU1zp2LkdVnIiib4TpI-Zo6a-MoIs_umIQH2zoA1DNrUtPACVswLvlSoIghZGY/s320/100_7235.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYb7be0pLYBKM43tX32QISNwQHE2oK8c9cgvXOPZPslflsnmsdbzfU19URKLDYKzDawmrvXB0tXW1CZm2M9DqNW9hZLn_71Lg3WWEBenN9vuICAxfvAqzL4ffZowrR53zhOzYJqvTxQW0/s1600/100_7244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYb7be0pLYBKM43tX32QISNwQHE2oK8c9cgvXOPZPslflsnmsdbzfU19URKLDYKzDawmrvXB0tXW1CZm2M9DqNW9hZLn_71Lg3WWEBenN9vuICAxfvAqzL4ffZowrR53zhOzYJqvTxQW0/s320/100_7244.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQK8CydzM6rnwLlzRvoEhHXjAX0I7KaTkDkGN6zmtzX17f09MTCpyAbBjMVCTX3P9Z_pdOKgLgdHNsA7QRFMDepDRVoO2Nifs5gSCle6oY9GivU-OHkSv4oSA3mIDnoLbObudsMplH7U/s1600/100_7246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfQK8CydzM6rnwLlzRvoEhHXjAX0I7KaTkDkGN6zmtzX17f09MTCpyAbBjMVCTX3P9Z_pdOKgLgdHNsA7QRFMDepDRVoO2Nifs5gSCle6oY9GivU-OHkSv4oSA3mIDnoLbObudsMplH7U/s320/100_7246.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Luda, our favorite caregiver. She has spent a lot of time with us during our visits with Maria. They say she's been telling everyone everyday that we are coming to see her. She really seems to be understanding on this trip who we are and she likes being with us. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1kIWyEZQO0SBML2sSa5jZGbEXLPY61mBS2TBJ1-47MfKdr_WgfZ-JPTptdx7hmOiSLHV5gl0Q0s1PFo-izOvcH26NgUFg5lvBrdnmm6-2jXpI5f5lPsRqNuNb9yA3StwRiH22pnkoePc/s1600/100_7251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1kIWyEZQO0SBML2sSa5jZGbEXLPY61mBS2TBJ1-47MfKdr_WgfZ-JPTptdx7hmOiSLHV5gl0Q0s1PFo-izOvcH26NgUFg5lvBrdnmm6-2jXpI5f5lPsRqNuNb9yA3StwRiH22pnkoePc/s320/100_7251.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> On our way into town to get Maria's passport photo. Usually this is done on the third trip, but they let us get it done early.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMMmyCDc3cEGdPn5XbaCrf2pbmEYwhOl1jwjKvUCDCm3vHqpNu6S6TeIlhOWYqYUsD_HYfTZcjRA3bgpiuG96D-e57qhnVeNeT6cODTMsx5mc8qwyHzuxdcENPbTwJNBWcLtZQEK76_Q/s1600/100_7254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPMMmyCDc3cEGdPn5XbaCrf2pbmEYwhOl1jwjKvUCDCm3vHqpNu6S6TeIlhOWYqYUsD_HYfTZcjRA3bgpiuG96D-e57qhnVeNeT6cODTMsx5mc8qwyHzuxdcENPbTwJNBWcLtZQEK76_Q/s320/100_7254.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> The courtroom. I probably took this photo illegally-shh don't tell.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtfsW-pfxOCs98vBAdZ8mln_sK1xonllSEEtC4za1IgNA_wDyZvPfTKBsahYjwQFQmhwU7oGG0JkphUSuxQY8tRc6sEvfbQ6lxYRBwuXyypMXtmWsVvb-39zOudSAmfwaJvWAj__Vp-A/s1600/100_7255.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQtfsW-pfxOCs98vBAdZ8mln_sK1xonllSEEtC4za1IgNA_wDyZvPfTKBsahYjwQFQmhwU7oGG0JkphUSuxQY8tRc6sEvfbQ6lxYRBwuXyypMXtmWsVvb-39zOudSAmfwaJvWAj__Vp-A/s320/100_7255.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Alyona- our faciliator, Olga- the local inspector and me after court- see our happy faces? </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabpkoyjAWJXZRf6JakPM3vHEC8B3KAIok3ccP_T2Fo6hv4fqB6lddwEY9kMsb7v_AC3ojpt8BNiIXDr_0pzJ8TavCv69eRuyEdyzmhOsTBMaxLPaZ47pRJnnoea-Cz3hY3abkou0_8Qo/s1600/100_7257.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgabpkoyjAWJXZRf6JakPM3vHEC8B3KAIok3ccP_T2Fo6hv4fqB6lddwEY9kMsb7v_AC3ojpt8BNiIXDr_0pzJ8TavCv69eRuyEdyzmhOsTBMaxLPaZ47pRJnnoea-Cz3hY3abkou0_8Qo/s320/100_7257.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Us with Alyona after court- yay, it's over and our adoption has been granted!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCoyXMYla_MWh4D7ExGDG_dlJQKjYJYSNojSozoc5okjOgOUpNxjOtEQecwT4r7Wec93DqAGzTgDeaLBM0wVpSlZ7NvbAHQ4qfGs_D9FV5FQFBHc6haHTfDqlhA2m-8YAEYmstYlbpPHM/s1600/100_7258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCoyXMYla_MWh4D7ExGDG_dlJQKjYJYSNojSozoc5okjOgOUpNxjOtEQecwT4r7Wec93DqAGzTgDeaLBM0wVpSlZ7NvbAHQ4qfGs_D9FV5FQFBHc6haHTfDqlhA2m-8YAEYmstYlbpPHM/s320/100_7258.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> The outside of the court building. This is a regular courthouse. Criminal and civil cases all are tried here, including our civil adoption case.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVI_c1YOIp5aiCqcZgtMoczD3nIt9WYqd-Ah62ZwLjtBCp9Av2vaoGeDXko5pYJvzMRBU0eLQxUowzkOfHETg6ZCc8Of7alt6nsbne0yH4d9Sig81_rzJKNyLC3i9-9Oi7FqHGkeRcr_g/s1600/100_7268.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVI_c1YOIp5aiCqcZgtMoczD3nIt9WYqd-Ah62ZwLjtBCp9Av2vaoGeDXko5pYJvzMRBU0eLQxUowzkOfHETg6ZCc8Of7alt6nsbne0yH4d9Sig81_rzJKNyLC3i9-9Oi7FqHGkeRcr_g/s320/100_7268.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Visiting Maria after court- Very happy day!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_zMrN2Z0rLIpE2WPLgXr1pByqSXr22BjhdJuk6c58FOYaSU90kbNqw5V4hsIHdmrZK6hzGeVNgfLMPbogYdujZeOx6MsKrnkXTIp-u_Ya-MZJX8oCZu0T7MiY5qQpjE2GigqkYKQX80/s1600/100_7273.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_zMrN2Z0rLIpE2WPLgXr1pByqSXr22BjhdJuk6c58FOYaSU90kbNqw5V4hsIHdmrZK6hzGeVNgfLMPbogYdujZeOx6MsKrnkXTIp-u_Ya-MZJX8oCZu0T7MiY5qQpjE2GigqkYKQX80/s320/100_7273.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> She calls Kike "Da-da and calls me Pa-pi" She gets her words mixed up a little, but we know what she means:)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK80_wK8F5kPTbJWIsPOJOCX3VHORmoaYSZUJ56Pksej8Kh_kMSS0gbxT0TDv4p-GsLtO6luTPwqMy_ztgZ3InKLDW-kqDs-HM_nASQv9XT7LdLlvKqHhb9bAEpn4yPTZdeTEshmF5B0A/s1600/100_7278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK80_wK8F5kPTbJWIsPOJOCX3VHORmoaYSZUJ56Pksej8Kh_kMSS0gbxT0TDv4p-GsLtO6luTPwqMy_ztgZ3InKLDW-kqDs-HM_nASQv9XT7LdLlvKqHhb9bAEpn4yPTZdeTEshmF5B0A/s320/100_7278.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Maria Elena Zuzunaga</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9AszMUG5bGAgqcgiSc-5AGMgJ0BPmlU3g4JEPxxgfg4ZaH2w55yFMMXKKeZbPDd92MFxcSj_H6BoEFUlVBCeaTutcHvJaGI-6a1Fjc_DIPehjkaMGZLgvlX2Y9NBMPWuYHYISMyANDPk/s1600/100_7279.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9AszMUG5bGAgqcgiSc-5AGMgJ0BPmlU3g4JEPxxgfg4ZaH2w55yFMMXKKeZbPDd92MFxcSj_H6BoEFUlVBCeaTutcHvJaGI-6a1Fjc_DIPehjkaMGZLgvlX2Y9NBMPWuYHYISMyANDPk/s320/100_7279.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> So you can understand how lost we feel. This says "Fitness Club"</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilorFYDVtz4DSCNherN9apcR0osH-eRmN85lfrpmsDfo3w1EalI8ftM76PEtM532RJEaFBJSPaUWgAGZxpEP54zlNDSK3jkpVfXZ3hutMR4OTL11jPP_6BGCwR8xVBlboNcNHnThXlcmA/s1600/100_7293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilorFYDVtz4DSCNherN9apcR0osH-eRmN85lfrpmsDfo3w1EalI8ftM76PEtM532RJEaFBJSPaUWgAGZxpEP54zlNDSK3jkpVfXZ3hutMR4OTL11jPP_6BGCwR8xVBlboNcNHnThXlcmA/s320/100_7293.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hanging with our host family: Simon Sr, Simon Jr. and Tania</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We are so thankful God has sent us on this journey. We have learned so much about who God is and about ourselves. We also cannot wait to bring Maria home and share in all that God has planned for her life and watch her become all that she is meant to be. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">We also are anticipating that this transition period will be difficult. We've prepared for it as best we can, but we don't really know what to expect or how it will affect all of us. We DO trust and believe in God's promise "<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">And we know that </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">all</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">things</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">work</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: -webkit-auto;">together</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: -webkit-auto;"><b> </b>for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.</span>" Romans 8:28</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Please be aware, however, that we will need to adjust for a couple of months and some of our activities will be minimal. We probably will not join in activities with large groups. However, if you would like to stop by and meet Maria, we would love it. If you would like to help with a meal or getting our children to their activities, that would be welcome also. We just might need to put the Welcome Home party on hold- for now. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Thank you all so much for your prayers and financial support over the past year! We truly hope the Lord has blessed you and you have seen His glory displayed through Maria's story, a story of redemption.</div></div>Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-59326540753429952462011-10-25T07:46:00.000-07:002011-10-25T07:46:58.994-07:00Introducing Maria Elena ZuzunagaToday is a very happy day for us; the day we welcomed the newest member of the Zuzunaga family! We were quite nervous about court but we were also very confident about why we were there and that helped us stay calm. It all only lasted about an hour and all parties agreed that our adoption of Maria was in her best interest. We were again reminded by the local education department representative that had we not come to visit Maria in July, before she turned 4 years old on September 17, Maria would have been transferred to the mental institution. And just so you know that the powers of darkness do not cease to try to thwart God's work, the moment we were walking out of the court room, all the lights in the entire building turned off and everything went pitch black. We KNOW God's heavenly army was battling during our entire court process because if the blackout had happened 10 minutes sooner, we don't know how that might have affected our hearing. Thank you all again for your prayers- we appreciate them and may you be blessed.<br />
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We fly home tomorrow and then will return here on November 6th, and will be coming home with our precious Maria on November 12th.Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-18169937943917394782011-10-15T00:14:00.000-07:002011-10-15T00:14:30.933-07:00Itinerary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">After getting our travel date on Monday, the last couple of days have been quite hectic to get everything ready. Today, however, I felt calm as I cleaned the house, expectant of our imminent trip.<br />
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We sent out our visa application yesterday. Today the agent called me to inform me that there has been technical issues with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and it looks like it is too risky to wait until it resolves on Tuesday for the processing of our 3 month business visa. She decided to get us tourist visas and we will have to apply for another one as soon as we get home. There might be an extra fee for that. What?! These visas already cost us $1200!!!!!!<br />
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Flights are booked! We will be flying Lufthansa this time around. It seems like United doesn't fly from DC on weekdays. It 's pretty awesome though because I've heard great things about this airline and our airfare this time around is almost half ($1700) what it was in July ($3000). I also hear they provide food and drinks regularly during the entire flight. :) We leave around 3pm on Wednesday and will arrive at 6:40pm on Thursday in Maria's country. <br />
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From there we will head over to the American Medical Clinic to have blood drawn. Nope, fasting not required. It's a 24 hour clinic so time's no issue. Then hopefully we will make it to our host family's house. Our new neighbor's brother and wife live near the city and have offered to let us stay with them. We will be able to save so much money this way. <br />
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The next morning we are supposed to go see Maria- yay! We were talking about whether or not she will remember us. I'm pretty sure she will, especially since we will visit in the same room we always started in and she has the photo album we left with her. I don't think she knows what/who mom and dad are, but that's understandable (she will!) We can't wait for our reunion!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFP9R4-VXsUe1MAlOn48aZqG5cdAV7vzxtJ7Bc5rVD-4UgpOpAAh614chvp0rMjdJ2UvpM7ig6WVD00lX0DbOjTe3D2MbY6rfSRsUQhjZGd2O9_0A2vbLJx5beR9mtfRUynnYDq2NMYgM/s1600/Maria+Sept.+2011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFP9R4-VXsUe1MAlOn48aZqG5cdAV7vzxtJ7Bc5rVD-4UgpOpAAh614chvp0rMjdJ2UvpM7ig6WVD00lX0DbOjTe3D2MbY6rfSRsUQhjZGd2O9_0A2vbLJx5beR9mtfRUynnYDq2NMYgM/s320/Maria+Sept.+2011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">We miss you sweetheart!</div><br />
Then we will go back to the American Medical Clinic for our 8 doctor medical exam. I'm not too worried about this, but I think Kike is!<br />
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Hopefully after all that we can meet up with Ashley Moreno and her new daughter, Juliana and Melanie Jim who will also be on her court trip! Not sure if we will work out because of our full day, but we'll try.<br />
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Not sure what the plan is for the next three days- I think we will visit Maria and maybe try to go to the city to tour and shop for souvenirs. <br />
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Then we will have court at 10:30 am on Tuesday, October 25th! For my family and friends that live in California it will be 11:30 pm on Monday (everyone else, sorry, you do the math-lol). So far, there has been nothing to indicate any problem or concern with court. Please pray that this goes smoothly! My sweet hubby, who is also very soft spoken, will have most, if not all, of the questions directed at him.<br />
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We leave for home the following morning around 7am and arrive at LAX at 12:30 the same day! Weird, I know, but it's about 18 hours of travel, not 5!<br />
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We will be home for about 10 days and then we can go back to get Maria! It looks like we would be leaving November 5th or 6th. We can go get her out of the orphanage on November 7th- forever! We're hoping this trip is shorter. We have to get Maria's passport, she needs a medical exam, we have to get her a visa from the US Embassy and then register our adoption and then we can leave. We are hoping to be able to leave November 11th.<br />
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Today it has really begun to hit me that this is really happening and our lives are going to change so quickly! I started thinking about the holidays and how fun it will be to experience it all through Maria's eyes. I can't wait to see her open her first Christmas present!<br />
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I also started thinking- I don't feel ready! I think that was true for my three pregnancies too. But it is different this time. She is not a baby- she talks, walks, runs, has tantrums and gives wonderful kisses! At dinner I thought, we don't have a highchair or booster seat for her. We still aren't sure where she will sleep. Does a crib provide more safety for her? Maybe she is too big for the crib. Would she do well on the bottom bunk? Should we buy a bunk bed for Diego's room? Hmmm... We'll just have to play it by ear. At the park today, I was watching my kids play in the sandbox with their flip flops on and I remembered that I didn't have any for Maria! Mostly because we're still not sure what size she wears. We've bought some tennis shoes and boots, but didn't think about the flip flops. Then I remembered that I'm going to need a diaper bag of sorts to carry in my car: change of clothes, pull-ups, wipes, plastic bags.<br />
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This weekend we hope to be packing and organizing. Since we moved just 6 months ago, we are still "moving in" but feel the extra motivation to get things done before Maria comes home. Finish organizing the garage, closets and kid-proofing. Not sure if the bathrooms will ever get painted.<br />
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Every day we have been getting closer to being fully funded! We praise God for providing all that we need and thank you for supporting us and loving Maria. We now are just under $3000 away!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Wow- we leave in 5 days!!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YW_URNeEtcPvLgXWVoEqftfoI-iRS14SujpU5p9-46_P6RGG42wbADvQh9l4ZhSDHJwZ5wJNCH21YTLt-GqJsNUJIQERQylifJ8PKdee1M6CB4iuxow2-yRSsZhtPQkBJzCIhGj3bYI/s1600/5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YW_URNeEtcPvLgXWVoEqftfoI-iRS14SujpU5p9-46_P6RGG42wbADvQh9l4ZhSDHJwZ5wJNCH21YTLt-GqJsNUJIQERQylifJ8PKdee1M6CB4iuxow2-yRSsZhtPQkBJzCIhGj3bYI/s200/5.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div>Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-18831606170148280812011-10-11T13:26:00.000-07:002011-10-11T13:26:42.860-07:00Court date!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Yesterday we received our court date!!!!! We will be leaving next week, October 19. We will have medical exams and several more visits with Maria and then we will have court on October 25th. We are so excited! My sweet hubby wrote this on his Facebook page yesterday and I had to share:<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"My heart wants to go out of my chest,...we have a court date! I'm in my work right now, but I want to hug my wife and just praise the Lord! October 25th, 10 am. That day is going to be a God's victory!"</span><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;">So we are booking flights, applying for visas, etc...- yep, it's a little crazy around here again!</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal">I have also been making/selling Pumpkin Spice Bread and Apple Crisps! Thank you to everyone who has been supporting our adoption through your donations and especially your prayers! </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We have had some extra expenses to update documents and our airfare will probably be higher on our last trip. We found out it is more expensive to fly over the weekend :) We now are only about $4000 away from being fully funded! It is amazing and humbling to see how God provides and how He has been using our fundraisers to also bring more awareness about His love for the orphan and His love for us!</div><br />
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</span></span></div>Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-51321840134733661422011-10-05T01:00:00.000-07:002011-10-05T01:00:13.016-07:00What a day!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">I am so tired right now it is going to be hard to keep this post coherent. I had a big 'ol to-do list and amazingly finished almost everything. I even had to go to the doctor to take a last minute TB test that needs to be notarized and apostilled along with all of our other documents. <br />
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Hubby had a dentist appt and was able to run over to his doctor and get his TB test too. That alone was amazing timing, since the doctor and dentist are only a block apart and his work is about 20 minutes away. It looks like our psychological evaluation will be ready by Thursday, so I will be heading to Los Angeles on Friday to have everything apostilled. <br />
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Then I had my daughter's soccer practice and one of the brand new players decided to take me down and now I'm kind of hurting. Then I had to peel and slice a thousand apples for the apple crisps I am selling this week. We went apple picking last week and had so many leftover apples that my amazing neighbor and friend Cindy offered to help me peel and slice so I could sell them.<br />
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As I was making the apple crisps, I started thinking about my great-grandma. They are, after all, her recipe. And then it dawned on me that her name was Mary, just like our girl. And my mom is named Mary Ann. And my husband's grandma, the fair haired and blue- eyed one, was named Maria and his sister's first name is Maria too. <br />
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Yep, she belongs in this family. We cannot wait to go back to see her! These will be two very long weeks and we will probably be exhausted, but she's so totally worth it. <br />
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</div>Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-13261114478847367042011-10-03T23:39:00.000-07:002011-10-03T23:39:27.768-07:00UPDATE!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Can life get more crazy? Apparently the answer is yes if you are adopting internationally. <br />
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Today our facilitator in Maria's country had a meeting with the judge to go over our documents and assign us a court date. We asked for prayer in church yesterday and asked everyone we knew to pray specifically that the judge would NOT ask for a police clearance from hubby's native country. This is not a requirement for adoption and this would delay our adoption for months upon months. We also have been waiting for our updated immigration approval which has been delayed for over 2 months. <br />
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Good news first: We received that pesky immigration approval finally!<br />
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Difficult but not bad news: So far the judge has not asked for the police clearance. However, she/he did ask for an updated psychological evaluation because ours is super long and way too detailed even pointing out ALL of our character flaws. Big surprise: we're not perfect! But, the judge doesn't need to know all that- just if the psychologist recommends us as adoptive parents (which he does!). Problem: I don't know how long it will take him to re-do the eval. Or how much he will charge (unplanned cost). <br />
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Our facilitator will meet with the judge again next Monday to ask for our court dates: October 24, 25 or 26. But, we still have to visit Maria five times and have a medical exam BEFORE court and we lose two days traveling. So that means we may have to leave Saturday October 15! But we won't find out until October 10! AAAAAHHHHHH! Ok, did you see how crazy that is? How will I get a visa and flights in five days? I mean, I am aching to go back to our Maria, but under such circumstances, it is super stressful. <br />
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Thankfully, my parents are available to watch our kids for that first week. But, the second week they might have to go to a friends' house. <br />
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The awesome news: IF we do go to court Oct. 24, 25, or 26, that means Maria will be coming home by Thanksgiving!<br />
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Now that is something to be thankful about. <br />
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</div>Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-41169779381870341712011-09-26T01:48:00.000-07:002011-09-26T01:48:34.031-07:00Benefit Concert Update<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Our benefit concert on Friday was amazing! We had around 100 people come and over $2000 in donations. We felt so blessed that night and were so happy to enjoy the great music and share our adoption story. <br />
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We know that God has such a beautiful purpose for Maria's life and we are the lucky ones to be chosen to be her mama and papa. <br />
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Here are some photos of the night courtesy of our friend and neighbor Shawn Dollar- jcrewphotography.smugmug.com:<br />
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Love this handsome guy!</div>
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At the end of the concert we shared a video of our adoption journey made by my friend Mia (thank you!):</div>
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We are getting so close and we want to thank all of you for your help to get Maria home to her family! We are still around $5000 away from our goal- amazing progress! I will be making Key Lime Pies this week and on so if you want to order one- let me know!</div>
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We received an update on our case on Friday saying that our adoption facilitator will meet with the judge on October 3rd. Please pray we get a court date! We are hoping the judge doesn't ask us to get a bazillion more documents to have notarized and apostilled. And we also received a new photo of Maria taken recently. Her hair is getting longer and she is all dolled up! This one is going in a frame!</div>
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Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-3070686700863911142011-09-19T01:55:00.000-07:002011-09-19T01:55:31.613-07:00Maria's birthday<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: center;">Yesterday was Maria's 4th birthday. We decided to celebrate it alongside our 3 year old's birthday too. We are really missing Maria and wonder if she got some cake or gifts. I doubt it. They may have given her some chocolate though. We saw one of the nannies stuff a big chocolate in her mouth (only her, none of the other kids), one day during outside playtime. </div><br />
Here are some photos from our day:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Swimming makes them <b>really </b>hungry</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmY69CMHuuJSscxiKF3xvgNZP2ZKN9VKJkFYbKTts7ZvuNO0WG4PvYqDrvwOilZm_EMDoBjyfP2TpEiVpUYqN1tYaIvQK9nEYkwHxsMK6RdzoDEEPz78LnW4dzamxoHx8j0XxzJCsDYpQ/s1600/100_6896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmY69CMHuuJSscxiKF3xvgNZP2ZKN9VKJkFYbKTts7ZvuNO0WG4PvYqDrvwOilZm_EMDoBjyfP2TpEiVpUYqN1tYaIvQK9nEYkwHxsMK6RdzoDEEPz78LnW4dzamxoHx8j0XxzJCsDYpQ/s320/100_6896.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> Special request: Ariel cake with strawberry filling</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsLELYkVLckFWOrnnoglEXZGO1U4DbtQZlglj_CfTcSdmpX9ljW6vJTkm9lTnMwRr_055F9EiBitJhwXDeqsWD0TsryHqCqf-PxdIXF5feXfNZQcLVpO3dOq4bwz9nceMRaLVrfE6GuA/s1600/100_6901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsLELYkVLckFWOrnnoglEXZGO1U4DbtQZlglj_CfTcSdmpX9ljW6vJTkm9lTnMwRr_055F9EiBitJhwXDeqsWD0TsryHqCqf-PxdIXF5feXfNZQcLVpO3dOq4bwz9nceMRaLVrfE6GuA/s320/100_6901.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> My 3 year old picked the backpack out for Maria</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">We are getting so close to our funding goals! Thank you for your support- when everyone helps, it really does make a big difference! </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Reminder about our <a href="http://calvarychapelsb.com/calendar/ConcertForMaria">concert</a> this Friday night! My husband's Peruvian band, La Semilla will be playing and we will be sharing a video about our adoption journey. Can't wait!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We also can't wait to bring Maria home- this is her <b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">last </span></b>birthday without a family!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-62233211692305826022011-09-15T15:19:00.000-07:002011-09-15T15:19:40.073-07:00Thank you Jesus!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">We had a very capable news reporter, Lara Cooper, write a very nice article about our adoption of Maria. You can read it here: <a href="http://www.noozhawk.com/article/091311_goleta_family_adopting_russian_child/#comments">http://www.noozhawk.com/article/091311_goleta_family_adopting_russian_child/#comments</a><br />
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I knew there would be some hateful/hurtful comments and prayed that the Lord would guard my heart. Sometimes it is not even worth it to engage the people who say cruel things, because they only want to hear their own voice. But it does bother me that they try to influence others with their WRONG and hateful beliefs. <br />
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On a very GOOD note, however, we were able to MEET the matching grant challenge and then some! We raised over $2200 yesterday and will receive the other $1000 shortly, a daily record for our adoption fund! Yay Jesus! All of it is because of Him and what we <i>could </i>not do, but He <i>has </i>done!<br />
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I was at an Orphan Sunday meeting last night and I loved what one man prayed: "Jesus help us as we battle Satan <b>every day</b> and to claim the victory that we have because of your death on the cross."<br />
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AMEN!</div>Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-25039813469557000562011-09-13T22:57:00.000-07:002011-09-13T22:57:56.208-07:00Matching Grant<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Today we received news of a matching grant offered to us! They will match <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">dollar for dollar</span> all donations up to $1000. That will make us <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">$2000</span> closer to our Maria! And your donation will be doubled! You can donate by clicking on the Reece's Rainbow donation link to the right. Please consider helping Maria- she appreciates it!<br />
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Please keep us in your prayers too! We still have not heard back on a court date and it might be later than we were hoping :( There are so many ups and downs in the adoption process. There are always more documents to be notarized and apostilled, more unforeseen costs, more delays, more of our hearts aching to have our daughter home with us. <br />
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</div>Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-44263770862506436002011-09-12T02:50:00.000-07:002011-09-12T02:50:13.868-07:00Repentance and a Concert<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">These last two weeks have been pretty rough. A friend of mine asked me last week, "Please tell me this is the hardest year of your life." "Yes" was my immediate response. <br />
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Looking back on that statement, however, I don't know if I can say that. "Hard" is such a relative term. I've been through "hard" things, but they aren't all been the same. "Going through the fire" would probably be a more accurate term. And I love that as we go through the fire, God is purifying and molding us more and more into who He wants us to become. <br />
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God is so gracious. I cried a lot these last weeks. I whined a lot. I grumbled a lot. I was really frustrated. I was really tired. I just didn't know what else to do.<br />
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Aha! That was the key! I am so grateful that the Holy Spirit was able to gently rebuke me and draw me to Christ. I cannot keep my heart in the right place, I cannot keep my faith strong- my flesh cannot! Satan knows my weaknesses and he exposes them. This is a spiritual battle, friends! Christ alone can change my heart, can keep me strong and can encourage me! <br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">Two verses that helped bring me to repentance are:</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philipians 4:6-7</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Charis SIL', charis, Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">"For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those <i>who live</i> according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit." Romans 8:5</span></span><br />
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In fact, I would encourage you to read all of Romans 8! Wow, what a treasure trove of blessings and promises!<br />
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I thank God for those of you who have supported us financially and prayerfully! We cannot do this alone and you are such a blessing to us!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Now, for the exciting part!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">SAVE THE DATE!</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">SEPTEMBER 23, 2011</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">6:30 PM</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">CALVARY CHAPEL SANTA BARBARA</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">A FAMILY FOR MARIA BENEFIT CONCERT</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdoNqwVhu539UiWKhbZb0XhgHMhGDDojlLT0n4_hPoxu3T5gtv5mQOy2Q6a9tUVlHzq-pVy4aQgzHxLShQUNl9384PralBK2nVDYHbMaXeWQ8Y5KyaBsQVTJyT1K8dALR6kxUszEMhS7M/s1600/Maria+con+mariposa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdoNqwVhu539UiWKhbZb0XhgHMhGDDojlLT0n4_hPoxu3T5gtv5mQOy2Q6a9tUVlHzq-pVy4aQgzHxLShQUNl9384PralBK2nVDYHbMaXeWQ8Y5KyaBsQVTJyT1K8dALR6kxUszEMhS7M/s320/Maria+con+mariposa.jpg" width="238" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">featuring</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">LA SEMILLA, MUSIC OF THE ANDES</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/T3L7cptWQZI?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;"><br />
</span></div>(Of course, I have a really awesome poster that I can't figure out how to upload to the blog...)<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: left;">We are super excited about this upcoming concert! My husband's band will be reuniting after 10 years and it is going to be an amazing night! We also will be sharing about what God has been doing through our adoption process. I can't wait to be able to share Maria's story with our church!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Please pray for this event as it will be our last fundraiser before we travel. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Also pray that more families will sense God's call to adopt. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div>Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-39303933581038821912011-09-03T19:57:00.000-07:002011-09-06T23:04:47.876-07:00Behold, God is my Helper<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="apple-style-span"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But Moses’ hands</span></i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></i></span><span class="apple-style-span"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">became</span></i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></i></span><span class="apple-style-span"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">heavy; so they took a stone and put</span></i></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> </span></i></span><span class="apple-style-span"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">it </span></i></span><span class="apple-style-span"><i><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.</span></i></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Exodus 17:12</span></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">We did not decide to adopt because we really needed a child. Or because we wanted another girl. Or because we thought we would love to have a child with Down syndrome. What happened is this: We chose to obey. God stirred our hearts for the orphan, he put a burning in us to act and He spoke to us. When we saw the photo of Maria and read her story, we knew He was calling us to be her family!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In the book of Exodus we read about Amalek’s attack on Israel when Moses had led them out of Egypt and they were in the wilderness. As long as Moses lifted up his rod, Israel would win. But if he got tired and put his arms down, Amalek would start to gain ground. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now if you’ve read the beginning of the story, you know Moses did not think he could do what God was asking him to do. But God insisted that he was the one he had chosen to fulfill his plans. And God promised to help Moses. So when Moses was so exhausted that he could no longer hold his arms up, Aaron and Hur were there to grab his arms and hold them up for him. I’m sure Moses wanted to rest, but his friends couldn't let their people be defeated. They had to press on and do what God was requiring of them to fulfill His plans. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Like Moses, I am weak and I do get tired. But I am 100% sure I am doing exactly what God has asked of me. 100%!!! Thank you for supporting my arms on the days when I feel my hands falling. We have faith in God’s promise and we will continue to do everything we can, with the Lord’s help, to bring Maria home. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black;">Behold, God</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black;"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black;">is</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black;"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black;">my helper; The Lord</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black;"> </span></span><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black;">is</span></span><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black;"> </span></span></i><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; color: black;"><i>with those who uphold my life.</i></span><i> </i> Psalm 54:4</span></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="apple-style-span"><span style="color: black;">We still need around $11,000 and are expecting a court date the first week of October. If you would like to support us, you can donate through the Reece's Rainbow link on the right. Thank you!</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div></div>Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4349289381257497792.post-30344210814220373632011-08-31T14:58:00.000-07:002011-08-31T15:01:32.333-07:00Both Hands Project<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">What a great day we had on Saturday! We had about 15 people helping us make a difference for Louise. Some of things include: cleaned bathroom, kitchen, repaired undersink pipes and garbage disposal, weed removal and gardening, cleaned patio, changed outdoor light fixture, vacuumed, cleaned windows, painted two stairways, trash removal and disposal, photography and videography. Phew! It was a really hot day and our volunteers really pushed through despite the heat. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/6bEoti1qyRo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">(sorry for the way we look and sound during the interview-</div><div style="text-align: center;"> it was the end of the work day and we were, well, pretty wiped out!)</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div>At the end of the day, we were able to share some pizza and grapes with Louise and when she bowed her head in prayer to thank Jesus for her food out loud, my eyes welled up with tears. This is a woman who has served the Lord as a missionary for 50 years in Asia. She is beginning to experience dementia. She is alone- but she has her Heavenly Father looking down on her. He has not forgotten her. I am so humbled that the Lord has seen Louise and said, "You know, my daughter needs some help. Let's get the Zuzunaga Family and their friends over there and shower her with some love."<br />
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It's another moment for me of awe at our amazing God. My message to you is this: if you want to be blessed and inspired and in awe by what God can do in your life, say yes to God. We are not special people or amazing people. We only said yes to God. We had no idea that God would use our adoption process to reach out and bless this dear servant of God. <br />
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If you have thought about donating to help bring Maria home and haven't yet done so, I'm urging you to please send it in soon. We should be going to court in about 5 weeks and we still need around $15,000 more to fully fund our adoption. We thank and praise God for those of you who have already given and sacrificed on Maria's behalf.<br />
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</div>Gentryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02863185679711307072noreply@blogger.com1