Ananya's Journey

Orphancare International

2008-06-12T13:38:00.001-07:00

A Picture Show Of the Last Year!

2008-02-14T16:37:00.000-08:00

February 15, 2008

2008-02-13T07:47:00.000-08:00

Today is a day of celebration. We have been a family of 4 for a year now. It has been an amazing year. I can't even describe the ways my life has changed. If given the choice I would repeat it, as is. I am thankful and truly blessed by God to have this daughter. I am overjoyed that God opened my heart and my eyes to adoption. I don't see why everyone doesn't get to adopt.
I started out 2007 desperate and depressed. I was just learning about faith and dependence on God. I had never had to lean so heavily on God and tell him, "I'm giving you control of my life. I'll follow your will." It came out more like "Fine. I won't have my daughter until You say so. Fine. Just hurry up already." I hope that I sound less like a pouting 3 year old and way more grateful today.
One year ago today, I met an angel. She has saved so many parts of our family. What was good a year ago is better now. I see a new side of Patrick, and Anthony. I know there is a new side of me. I'm becoming the person that I want to be.
I can't even remember the sorrow of waiting. Its all gone now. Even starting another adoption, the emotions surprise me. I've forgotten the sadness. Guess all you need to forget is a loud 2 year old that loves to tear paper into little pieces.

Finally Meeting Our Daughter

2008-02-12T12:17:00.000-08:00

We have been home for 5 weeks now. I have sorted in my mind the details of the trip. I think now I can journal our trip. I planned on journaling through out the trip but I just never got around to it.

After many months of waiting and days of packing we were finally ready to travel to India. We had 6 large suitcases that were right at the weight limit of 50 lbs each. We each had a carry on and a small bag. We left Charlotte NC on February 13th at 1155 on a US Airways flight to Washington Dulles. We had a 5 hour layover. We left on a Lufthansa fight to Frankfurt Germany. The flight was 6 ½ hours long. We landed in the morning of the 14th. After a 4 hour layover in Germany, we boarded our flight to Kolkata India. The flight was 8 hours long. We landed at about 1:00 am Kolkata time on February 15th . All of our luggage made it to India without a problem. We traded some money. The exchange rate was 42.45 rupees per US dollar. We had to take 2 cars to the hotel because of all our luggage. There were children at the airport begging at 2:00am. I just couldn’t look at them. We took a 20 minute ride to the hotel. We stayed at the Hotel Hindusthan in Kolkata. The room had beautiful hardwood floors and a king size bed. We finally laid down at 3:00am.

Thursday February 15, 2007

We woke up at about 10:00am that morning. I had my first panic attack. I had forgotten to print out the travel guide with Anju’s phone number. We got internet access and I got the number. We called the orphanage. Anju wasn’t at that building and we got another number to call. After a couple tries, Patrick finally got through. Anju gave us the option to pick Ananya up that day (Thursday). I could not resist. We started gathering all the orphanage donations and went to find lunch. We ended up eating at one of the restaurants in the hotel at about 1:00pm. Anthony had Chinese noodle soup non vegetarian, I had spaghetti with tomato, basil and garlic, Patrick had non vegetarian fried rice. We just about ran out of time and I had to run upstairs and get all of our things from the room to take into the orphanage. We had 3 plastic bags and a large duffle bag full of things to leave.
The ride to the orphanage in a hotel car took about 20 minutes. We found the building after alittle searching. There are no signs outside to let you know it is an orphanage. We walked in through metal gates and up a narrow staircase. We could hear all of the babies. Anju met us and invited us into her office. We sat down and she said something to another lady. She had us sign the book and we had to write our address. She told us about Ananya, her eating schedule and told us how she only cries when she needs something. She gave us a box of Lactogen formula, a box of infant cereal, and a package of cookies.
Then one of the Ayahs brought Ananya in. We met her in the open lobby area. She looked like she had been asleep and was confused. Patrick had a camera and Anthony had the video camera. I approached Ananya and told her hello. The Ayah handed her to me. Ananya took one look at me and started screaming. We all spent a few minutes trying to calm her down while I was holding her. It didn’t work. The Ayah took her back and she immediately stopped crying. I walked away to let her calm down. I went into the baby room. There were about 9 babies in this room with maybe 6 cribs. A couple were actually bassinets. 2 or 3 of the babies were on the floor. I asked Anju which one was Mouli (Daya). I went over and picked her up. She didn’t cry. I told her that Mommy and Daddy were coming soon and that they love her. We took pictures of the room. I went back out to try and hold Ananya again. Once in my arms, she started crying once again. After a few minutes, the Ayah took her and calmed her down. Anju kept reassuring me that it would be ok. I kept telling everyone that I knew it was ok. She just needed to get to know me. We tried a 3rd time to give her to me. After a few minutes, she did calm down. We stayed a few more minutes. Anju assured us if we needed anything while we were there to call her.
We made arrangements to visit the other building (Lakeview Road). A couple of blocks and our driver stops at this alley. They quickly usher me out of the car and down this alley. We enter this doorway, once again no sign or indication of what was inside. We follow a man down a hallway. We go into a room. There are about 6 older children in this room. Patrick starts taking pictures of each child. We go into another room and there are older babies in there. Ananya started to fuss and an Ayah took her from me. She immediately calmed down. I started to look around the room at the other children. I asked to see Prasun. They show me this chubby little boy. He was laying in a crib. One of the Ayahs picked him up and handed him to me. My first impression was “wow, he is heavy”. I put him down and asked about Swarnadip. They showed me a little boy about Ananya’s size. The Ayah handed him to me and he started crying. I immediately put him down. I didn’t want another child crying because of me. I went looking for Ananya. The ayah gave her back to me. We went upstairs. There were 2 rooms full of babies. The infants were in the first room. We took our shoes off. Some of the Ayahs were on the floor doing stretching on some of the infants. Others were feeding babies. The second room had newborns. There were 2 babies in an closed bassinet with heat lamps. There were other newborns with feeding tubes. They were so little. We took a picture with the Ayahs and left. The ride back to the hotel was nice. Ananya slept on my lap the entire ride. I felt like I had a permanent smile on my face. We got back to the hotel and relaxed for a while. Patrick and Anthony went to sleep. I ordered room service and tried to get Ananya to eat rice with milk and sugar. That didn’t work. Ananya was up until about 11:00pm before I could finally get her to sleep. I was updating our blog and emailing people. Everyone wanted to see the pictures.

Friday February 16, 2007

We woke up happy as could be. Patrick was holding Ananya when she woke up. We found out quickly that she is all smiles in the morning. We went to breakfast in the hotel. Ananya didn’t eat too well. She didn’t really drink at all either. I didn’t push it much though. We arranged for a car and went shopping at New Market. Patrick seemed a little shocked by the appearance of the Market. It looks a lot like an American Flea Market. We decide to risk it. A young man volunteered to guide us. He took us to a jewelry shop first. The owner got Anthony and Ananya some Mango juice. He showed us so many beautiful things. I couldn’t keep him from putting more things in front of me. The first time he gave us a price for all the things I just about died. He said 31,000 rupees. We started taking things away and ended up only buying ankle bells for Ananya and a necklace. Next we went to a sari shop. I didn’t really like the prices that they were quoting me. I got 1 sari. We got a cute outfit for Ananya. An Indian outfit for Anthony and ordered one for Patrick. We had to return the next day because they were making the outfit for Patrick. We chose to return to the hotel after that. Ananya fell asleep in the carrier. I had to feed her when we got back. I didn’t have the hang of the formula yet. She wouldn’t drink out of a sippy cup or a bottle because she doesn’t suck on things. We played with her in the room. Everyone went to sleep kind of early. Ananya went to sleep without any problems. She slept through the night again.

Life With Ananya

2008-02-12T12:16:00.000-08:00

Saturday February 17th, 2007

We woke up again to all smiles from Ananya. We had breakfast in the hotel again. We arranged for a car at 1:00 to take us sightseeing. We got a call from Grace. They were in the hotel and we went to their room to visit. We finally got to meet Grace, Shane, Anila, and Lenin. We have had so many phone conversations with them. We all cried and prayed together so it was wonderful to finally meet them in person. They all loved to meet Ananya. They were waiting to leave to pick up Jadyn and Jay. We told them alittle of our trip and we showed Anila and Lenin the pictures that we had taken of Jay. We went to visit Victoria Memorial. The gardens were beautiful and we had a nice walk. The weather was beautiful. We probably spent about an hour there. We went to the planetarium next. Ananya took a short nap. Anthony and Patrick liked the show. I just enjoyed holding Ananya after so long. We tried to go to St. Pauls Cathedral next but it was closed. We decide to go back to the hotel. We ate lunch at the restaurant again. We all relaxed alittle. Anthony finally went swimming at the hotel pool. The water was little cold but he enjoyed it. Ananya liked sitting outside too. I couldn’t take the suspense any longer so I went down the hall to see if Grace was back yet. I met her in the hall. I got to see Jadyn. She was adorable laying there asleep. Grace had the same smile that I had on Thursday. She was glowing. Jay was in the next room. He didn’t sound too happy. We planned on having dinner with them later that evening. We had to go back to New Market and pick up Patrick’s Indian outfit. We got to New Market at dusk. We started heading for the shop and our guide from the previous day found us. People kept pointing us to the right shop. I guess everyone knew we were coming back. We got the outfit and went to a couple of other shops. We got outfits for Ananya in several different sizes. We found another outfit for Anthony as well. We went to the jewelry shop again to look for a watch for Patrick. I didn’t look at anything new. The man was too persistent and I didn’t want to spend all of our money. A little girl started to follow us on the street and was talking to me at the jewelry shop. She said her name was Puja. She was so beautiful. I didn’t have anything to give her though. I gave her several pieces of gum. Ananya started to fuss a lot. I didn’t have any formula with me and I just thought that she was tired. I figured out on the way home, once we finally pulled Patrick out of the shop, that she was hungry. Starving is more the word for it. I didn’t really have any warning. She just started crying and would not stop. Finally after what seemed like the longest car ride ever, we got back to the hotel and I could feed her alittle. We had to cancel dinner with the other families because I couldn’t do anything with Ananya at the time. I finally got Ananya settled down after a whole bottle and found that in the screaming she had a bowel movement finally. It was no wonder that she was fussing. It had to hurt. She went to sleep without any problems.

Sunday February 18th, 2007

We decide to stay in the hotel all day after the disaster the night before. Ananya woke up with smiles yet again. She is so sweet in the morning. We had breakfast with our friends and their wonderful children. We got to talk to them a lot. I could see some of the delays in Ananya watching the other 2. Anthony got a stomach ache during breakfast and Patrick took him back to the room. I stayed with the others. I got more food into Ananya this morning and managed to eat a little myself. We played in the room. Anju came to visit us. Ananya wouldn’t let Anju hold her. We did get a picture of the 3 of us though. Our family will treasure it forever. Anthony went swimming again in the afternoon. There were some boys at the hotel that he played with for a while. They were from England. We were all starting to get tired so a easy day of nothing was wonderful. Ananya had her first bath. She didn’t really enjoy it that much.

Monday February 19th, 2007

We had the normal morning. Ananya wakes up smiling. We went to breakfast. No bellyaches today though. We had to start to get ready to leave. We had a 5:45pm flight from Kolkata to New Delhi. We got to the airport about 3:45pm. The ride was longer than I remember but there was also traffic because it was afternoon and not the middle of the night. We saw more of Kolkata. We got to see New City which is still being built. The new buildings were kind of like condos in the US. We saw a lot of cows along the road. The airport was a lot nicer than I had expected. We had to put our bags through security immediately upon entering the building. All of our checked baggage was sealed. The men who got our bags outside directed us to the right desk to check in. The Jet Airways desk gave us 2 small yellow roses. They were beautiful. We had to wait a while to go through security. I hadn’t been thinking when I packed our carry-ons this time. I had our hand sanitizer and a bunch of batteries in one bag. The nice lady let me keep my hand sanitizer and moved the batteries to other bags. We rode a shuttle out onto the tarmac and boarded our plane. It was really crowded. Ananya started to fuss alittle after we boarded and I got her a bottle. She drank it during takeoff. She didn’t have any problems. I got sick during take off. I had to take Dramamine. They luckily served us a meal during the flight. I didn’t have enough on my stomach to handle the flight. Ananya quickly went to sleep. I finished my meal and fell asleep myself. It was dark when we landed in Delhi. The airport was a shock. It was a lot more busy that Kolkata. It was also more modern. We got our bags and went to find a car. A guy got our bags and lead us to the Avis window for a car. The ride to the hotel was 1800 rupee. I didn’t think that was too bad. In the parking lot we got a nice car to the hotel. The man with our bags told Patrick that his fee was 500 rupee. We hadn’t had anyone actually quote a price like that. We packed off to the Nikko without any problems. The ride was about 30 minutes. We saw several parties that looked like weddings. We got to the hotel and checked in without any problems. There was a wedding in the courtyard. We got to see the bride. She was beautiful. Once upstairs, we got room service and ate dinner. I tried to call to arrange for a car the next day. The manager told me that we would have to wait until morning and call back. I tried to sort through our papers and about had a heart attack. I thought I had forgotten our home study. It was all there and we all crashed at about 11:30pm in anticipation of a long day the next day.

More of our Trip

2008-02-12T12:13:00.000-08:00

Tuesday February 20th, 2007

This was a big day for us. We had to go to the Embassy and apply for Ananya’s Visa. I was nervous and exhausted. This was my first day of trying to get 4 people out of the house at a certain time. I was never really good with just the 3 of us. We got room service for breakfast. I was able to get Ananya oatmeal. She even ate some of it. I didn’t have time to eat though. I took extra formula with me for the day though having learned from my previous mistake. We hired a hotel car for the day. Our driver had us out of the hotel by about 8:30am. We wound through the city streets on our way to the Embassy. Finally, we arrived. They have these barriers set up that the cars must weave in and out of to get to the front of the Embassy. We got scanned by metal detectors first. Then, we were directed past all the lines and got in the doors. All our things had to go through the x-ray and we got scanned by the metal detector again. Then we were in the building. Immediately, I saw Anila and Lenin. I took 1 look at Anila and Lenin and started crying. I was tired and I wanted my baby to EAT. The whole process was much easier than I thought it would be though. We got through and headed for the doctor and visa pictures at about 11:00. First, our driver took us to a photo shop. I held Ananya on my lap and got the picture taken. We had to wait about 20 minutes to get the pictures. Patrick bought a disposable camera in the shop. We got some good pictures sitting in the courtyard waiting. When we got the pictures for the visa, they were adorable. It was like seeing Anthony’s passport. Just a great moment. Next, we had to go to the Embassy doctor. Ananya had fallen asleep in the car. When the nice female doctor came in and we had to undress her, she woke up and started crying. After just a few minutes, they were all done. It was alittle after 12:00. The Embassy didn’t open back up until 2:00pm, so we went and had lunch. Our driver took us to a restaurant next to the photo shop. We picked through the menu and found some well cooked things. Patrick had Tandoori chicken that I ordered. We also had a spinach dish and onion and buttered naan. It was such a great lunch. Afterwards, we headed back to the Embassy to finish up. We met Grace, Shane, Anila, and Lenin outside. We went through security once again and went to the window to finish our paperwork. Anila had pity on my tired mind and helped me fill in the paperwork. We arranged with Grace and Shane to meet them at their hotel, the Sheraton, for dinner. We had our exit interview and were out the door by 3:30pm. We were to return the next day to pick up the visa. We got to relax for a few minutes before we got a car to take us to the Sheraton. It was gorgeous. We went to their suite. Jadyn was sleeping. We all got ready and wandered around for awhile looking for a restaurant. We had a great dinner even though the service was poor. I had a stuffed chicken sandwich, it was wonderful. We had ice cream for dessert. Ananya ended up with chocolate all over her face. We ended the night with some pictures of the girls together. Another treasure for us. We got back to the hotel and everyone was tired after such a long day.

Wednesday February 21st, 2007

Today was the day to pick up the “Golden Packet”. We didn’t rush though. We rented a car for the day. We got the same driver. We went first to the Embassy. I ran in and within 10 minutes had the packet in my hand. We were set to go home. YEAH!!!!! Next, the driver took us to the Embassy doctor again. I had realized that I didn’t get Ananya’s shot record back the day before. I was able to get it without a problem. We asked the driver to take us to some shops where I could buy a sari for myself. He took us to Haans Plaza. I found a nice little boutique named Atelior. They had such beautiful things. Patrick held Ananya while they held all these beautiful fabrics up to me. I got 2 saris and 2 outfits as well as a couple of scarves. The owner took me to her other shop around the corner. Patrick, Anthony, and Ananya found a toy store. I got several shirts, 2 more outfits, 2 pair of slippers and 2 purses. I will treasure all of my rather expensive purchases forever. We were instructed that all of the clothing would be finished by the next evening. We went back to the hotel and had dinner at the Japanese Restaurant. We found that Japanese restaurants don’t actually include rice or vegetables with the meat. It is all ordered separately. We went back to the room and just relaxed for the rest of the evening. I washed some clothes in the sink. I started to try and gather some of our things. I was ready to go home. We had 1 more day to enjoy India though. Mostly, I just wanted Ananya to eat. We had a good peaceful night.

Thursday February 22nd, 2007

Our last day in India. Everyone was ready to leave now. To me, leaving was bittersweet. I knew that once the stress was gone, I would miss India. I thought Ananya was doing so well. I was praying for one more day of no one getting sick. We still had to go to the Market and pick up my purchases. We hung around the hotel all morning. Had breakfast downstairs. We didn’t go out until about 3:00 pm. We got the same driver once again. He took us to Haans Plaza. We walked around alittle. We got brave and decided to try McDonalds. 2 fried chicken sandwiches (think giant chicken nugget) and a Happy Meal. I ended up giving Anthony my sandwich because his chicken had seasoning in it. The fries were good. This was one time when people really stared at us. We spent awhile just wandering through the Plaza. We went into a few shops. We still had a lot of time left. We had the driver take us to a few sites. First he took us to this tomb. It was surrounded by the most wonderful gardens. We walked around and took lots of great pictures. The driver took us to another tomb next. The gardens weren’t as pretty as the first, but there were several games of cricket going on. I was getting really tired. We went back to the shop to pick up my things before heading to the hotel. My outfits were gorgeous. It was dinner time when we got back to the hotel. We decide to have Japanese again. I wore my Salvar Kemeez to dinner. Of course I felt everyone looking at me. I had a wonderful Vegetable Tempora. It was finally the big night. We had to pack. We needed to leave the hotel by 6:30 am on Friday for our flight home. I tried to organize things as much as possible and figure out what had to be carried on the flight with us. I had to make sure I had enough formula to last about 20 hours until we got to DC where I knew I could find food for Ananya. It was a long night with not nearly enough sleep. I was ready to go.

Friday February 23rd, 2007

It was time to go. We settled our bill and got our car. We even fit into 1 car this time. The airport in New Delhi was again crazy. It was about 7:30am. No one was actually there to help us with our bags. We made it in and got our bags through security. We went to wait in line at the ticket counter. It took forever. I was starting to wonder if we could make our flight. We had to go through the immigration counter, fill out the forms, and wait in line for security. The security line took awhile too. We got all the way through security and went to pre-board only to find that our carry-on bags weren’t tagged and stamped. We didn’t get to pre-board like we could have. We were all about to lose our cool. Another 20 minutes later, we were finally on board our flight. We even got bulkhead seats. Extra leg room was great with Ananya on my lap. Eating wasn’t the easiest though. We got through the 8 hour flight without much trouble. Ananya napped. I napped. It was nice. I got my last couple Indian meals. We made it to Munich without any problems. We trudged through the airport. Down about 20 gates. We went through security again. We luckily only waited about 20 minutes and got to board our flight to the US. So close to home. We got an entire row of seats for me, Ananya and Anthony. We were all able to stretch out and relax. 8 ½ hours and we would be one step closer to home. The flight wasn’t too bad. We made it to D.C. We had to get our bags and go through immigration. We gave them Ananya’s paperwork and they processed her in 5 minutes. We rechecked our bags. We went and found something to eat. I found yogurt for Ananya and pizza for me. It was nice to be back home. 3 hours until we were finally back in Charlotte. I was able to go into the bathroom and primp both Ananya and myself for our big début. I got out the hair barrettes (yet unused) and refreshed my makeup. I just wanted to look alive and not so exhausted. We boarded our flight. Ananya fell asleep and I fell asleep. I awoke to city lights and a holding pattern. We were home. I couldn’t get off the plane fast enough. I was ready to see my family and my car. I was ready to have my mom finally meet her grand-daughter. Our small welcoming party was wonderful. I was ready to go home. The hour ride ahead seemed like torture but before we knew it we were home. Ananya screamed almost the whole way home. She didn’t like all the new things, the cold weather, and people touching her. Then I put her in the carseat. Poor baby was exhausted and rightfully had her meltdown. In our house, as a family of four. After waiting over a year, taking Ananya into her room was relaxing. She was finally in my arms. I exhaled only to realize how long it had been since I had relaxed.

God lead us through such a long journey and taught us all, especially me, so many things. I now realize what it is like to trust God to lead me. We had so many uncertainties in our year of waiting. In my heart, I knew it was ok. My mind didn’t, however. God took my hand and shoved me where I was to go. I am so glad that I didn’t turn back. I hope He allows me to travel this path again. As I finish writing this we have been home 14 ½ weeks. It honestly feels like forever. It has been a wonderful trip.

I wonder where we go next??

New Blog Address

2008-01-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

My new blog is Trying Again. The address is www.alwaystryingagain.blogspot.com

Ending This Blog

2008-01-08T05:48:00.000-08:00

After lots of thought, I've decided to stop posting here. I'm going to start a new blog. This is Ananya's place. This is where I wrote all the bad thoughts while we waited, all the good thoughts after we got home. I have so much to say that I don't want to put here. I've grown so much in the last 2 years. It's amazing. I want to talk about big issues that bother me now. Blog about what I'm doing and how the kids are. My new blog is my personal journal of raising 2 (soon to be 3) kids, working, taking care of all the things that I do in daily life, and just my thoughts in general. My life is not completely about adoption, a huge part of it is. I'm also a nurse, a homeschooling mom, and a bit of a healthnut. So follow me if you dare. I'm pulling the gloves off.

I lost my Blog List

2007-12-31T09:23:00.001-08:00

I know this sounds crazy but I had all of my favorite blogs saved in my bookmarks on my computer. This morning I woke up and after checking my email went to go blog-stalking and they were gone. Of course my first reaction was "ANTHONY WHAT DID YOU DO TO THE COMPUTER?" he said he didn't do it. Next it was "PATRICK WHAT DID YOU DO TO THE COMPUTER?" He said he didn't do it. I don't know what happened so I've spent the last hour trying to find some of the obscure blogs that I look at on a regular basis. I think my blogroll is going to get bigger.
Those who don't blogstalk might laugh, but you guys know what I'm talking about. :o)

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2007-12-26T07:28:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. We had a good day of doing nothing. The kids got plenty of new toys to play with. I'll share some pictures.
Ananya loves to ride her horse in the living room.

Ananya is playing with her new barbie. She likes to "wipe" her face and brush her hair.
With much prodding, she opened her presents.
Anthony dug right in of course and loved all his cool gifts.We took a spin at the new table and chairs Grandma bought with her new Aquadoodle.

New Taste Thursdays, Good Deals, and A Day At The Farm

2007-12-20T16:57:00.000-08:00

New Recipe.
This is a simple one and not even really a recipe.
1 box spice or pumpkin cake mix
1 tub cheesecake filling
1 bottle caramel sundae topping
Take spice cake or pumpkin cake mix and make cupcakes without liners. Once cooled, cut in half and spread with a big glob of cheesecake filling. Top each cupcake with caramel topping.
They are very pretty and fairly simple to make.
I don't have any pictures, but here are pictures of the homemade yeast rolls I made last week. They turned out great, and I'm going to make more.

Good Deals
I got the above at CVS for 7 dollars. I had 7 coupons. I got 5.49 in extra care bucks which is like a gift certificate for my next trip. The shampoo and conditioner would have cost more than that out of pocket. My new obsessions are CVS and Walgreens trying to get as much stuff for free (or as close to it as possible). Visit Money Saving Mom for details.
Next up is our day at the farm.
We visited my friend, Karen, in Shelby yesterday. She was having a party and invited us early to help set up. Anthony got to help feed the animals. Ananya got to ride a donkey. Heck, how often do you get to see 3 ducks, about 40 chickens, 4 goats, 2 sheep, 2 horses, a golden retriever, and a Great Perinese with 6 puppies. It was a great day and we finally got back home after 11 last night. I was a great trip and we can't wait to go back.
Hope every one is having a great holiday. Merry Christmas.

New Taste Thursdays

2007-12-12T08:16:00.000-08:00

***Editted--Anybody notice that I wrote this post yesterday (Wednesday). I've been way too busy. LOL***
I'm going to start something new here. I think I'll post a new recipe to share with you guys on Thurdays. Everyone can always use a new recipe.

Todays Recipe is Cheesy Broccoli Soup
1 T butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large bunch broccoli
1 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
6 cups chicken stock
1 1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Melt butter in a 4-6 quart soup pot. saute onion until soft. Cut broccoli into flowerets and thinly slice tender upper parts of stems. Add to pot along with potatoes and chicken stock. Cover and simmer until potatoes and broccoli are tender.

Puree mixture in batches in blender (or use and immersion blender if you didn't give it away when you were getting rid of all your junk). Return to pot and stir in milk, parmesan and salt and pepper. Heat gently for a few minutes.

This recipe courtesy of Leanne at Savingdinner.com

This is a great soup for cold nights and Anthony and Ananya both love it.
Enjoy!!

What a Difference a Years Makes

2007-12-10T18:43:00.000-08:00

As I decorate for Christmas and shop for presents and think about my holiday baking, I can't help but to think about this time last year. I can't believe its been a whole year, but boy am I glad that journey is over.
I'm so glad that Ananya is celebrating Christmas with us. I hurt last year and now its gone. This year we are waiting for our handsome Indian Prince. He'll be missed but I don't think its time for him to come home. God will take care of it. In the meantime, I have Ananya and Anthony and even Patrick keeping me quite busy. I love it. I have so much to be thankful for. What a difference the last year has made in my life.
I want to speak about some people I'm thankful have come into my life.
All the people at Dillon are wonderful. Tami and Jynger have been so much help and made sure we got new pictures and updates. Adrienne and Agni were a God-send when it came time to travel. I could never have arranged a better trip.
I can't forget all the new friends I've made. Kristi, I'm so glad I could moan and cry to you while we waited. Grace and Anila, we were so glad to meet you in India. Pam, I'm so glad I've meet you and can wait to randomly drive to Kentucky just because (its only a 5 hour trip). All the other India moms, thanks for sharing your trips. To all my SN forum friends, I am so glad to have you guys. You know how I feel and often times speak it before I can. I love all of you.
The other day, it dawned on me who is missing on this list. The Ayahs that took care of my daughter for 2 years and continue to care for my son. I could never thank them enough. I know they all loved Ananya. I wasn't the only one crying on Gotcha Day. They lead us through the orphanage and showed us all the babies. It was a great day that I finally got to see my daughter's home. I love each and every one of these women. I don't know what would be of my children without them. Caring for so many children only to send them to families can not be an easy job. I hope they know that each child that leaves is coming to a loving home and thrives. I want to take them a special gift when I return to India. I want to put together a scrapbook with as many childrens pictures as possible so the Ayahs can see what "their" babies have grown into. I pray God blesses each of these women daily for the work that they do.
I'm thankful to care for my family every day, even on the ones when I feel like they have run me ragged. God gives me strength. And I love them so much.
What are you thankful for?

Our Home and Holidays

2007-12-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

(She isn't standing. She has her braces on and is propped/wedged up)

This is who we celebrated Thanksgiving with, my family.

New Pics and A Step Closer

2007-12-05T08:09:00.000-08:00

We received new pictures of Prasun on Monday. It was a great start to my week. He is so handsome. I couldn't stop smiling. He was apparently flirting with Kristy. He was standing in his crib which is wonderful news. I'm extra happy about that.
We also had our homestudy visit yesterday. We are only doing one because we just finished our post placement things. I am praying I can get the remaining paperwork together quickly and have our dossier ready by the first of the year.
Ananya is doing great. She is her normal stubborn, funny self every day. She reacts to seeing Prasun's picture now. She laughs and tries to grap the picture. She tries to kiss the computer. It is too cute.
Anthony is doing great as well. He's ok with having a new brother. He is happy as well to not have to go to India again.
I'll try to post more pictures of the kids tomorrow.

Thanksgiving, New Pictures, and I'm finally OUTing It

2007-11-28T12:12:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving in PA with my Dad and Grammy. We had a great trip up and back. We enjoyed getting to introduce Ananya to more family. The temperature dropped 30 degrees Thanksgiving day. I was kind of glad because it felt like a true PA Thanksgiving. I was so thankful as I carried Ananya around all day. This time last year I felt horrible. I didn't know when my baby was coming home. It was bad and actually got worse before we received Guardianship. This year was great though. Next year will be even better.
We got pictures taken while in PA as you can see. There was a purpose which is the subject of my OUT. Not a huge secret really anymore but...
WE ARE ADOPTING AGAIN.
We hope to have Prasun home by June to be with us. He is 2.75 years old. 33 days younger than Ananya. I hope we get a new picture soon but here is one from earlier this summer. I have added his blog to my blog list on the right.
We have a picture of Ananya and Prasun together in the orphanage before we picked her up.

National Adoption Month

2007-11-07T14:39:00.000-08:00

November is National Adoption Month.

I'm screaming this for all to hear. Pass the word on. Make people talk about it. There are millions of children waiting for homes. While my family pursued an international adoption from India, the options are countless. Foster care is a wonderful system. They need great families. There are LOTS of older children that need homes. If you haven't opened your heart to adoption and are reading this, come on. Join us. Parenting is a great adventure.
Here is a short article that I wrote for the next newsletter from our adoption agency, Dillon International.

Waiting Children: What the Medical Reports Don't Tell You

She waited in the crib. At nine-months old, she weighed in at a tiny 11 pounds, could barely sit on her own and could not pull up in the bed she shared with another child.
Across the world, we were also waiting. We longed for a daughter, a sister for our son. God was pushing our hearts toward adoption- not of the "perfect" child, but of the child He intended to be our daughter.
The waiting ended in February 2007 when we adopted Ananya from the Indian Society for the Rehabilitation of Children (ISRC) in Kolkata, India. She is the blessing God put in our hearts two years ago and her smile lights up our home.
While in the care of the ISRC, Ananya received medical care and regular visits from a physical therapist. The medical reports we received from India were accurate: she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, low birth weight, and a seizure disorder. There were no surprises; we were handed the child that was described to us.
We have since learned some things the medical reports don't tell you: how a child can sprout with the daily care and love of a family. In only a couple of months, she could crawl all over the house. Her understanding of language came shortly thereafter. Her bonding has been extraordinary. She quickly learned to trust me and is firmly attached to me.
No medical report could describe how much our family has grown in the last eight months. Each of us has learned to be patient, less selfish, to look at people differently. Our weeks are filled with physical therapy sessions and we rarely go a month without a visit to the doctor, but all this is minute compared to the joy we receive daily from having Ananya in our family.
A medical report also could not have predicted that I would become an advocate for the adoption of waiting children. Fear of the unknown can be a hard emotion to overcome. Find a good doctor and let them review the medical information; most medical problems can fbe fixed or managed. Consider the adoption of a waiting child. You may be amazed at what comes next.

All I can say is please get involved. If you do feel the push to adopt, you can help other families. There are many organizations that help families fund their adoptions. There are also organizations, such as Dillon that do mission work in many of the countries where there are a large number of orphans. If you can't open your heart, open your wallet.
Amanda

Today

2007-11-05T18:38:00.001-08:00

This is Ananya's favorite thing. Playing with the kitten. They play everyday. It's so cute.
This is my loaf of fresh bread. I've had the stinkin' breadmaker for like 9 years and this is the first time I've ever gotten a load that is shaped normal and not hard as a brick. My last 2 caved in at the top but were good. This one looks perfect. I actually almost got rid of the bread maker because I couldn't get the bread right. So glad that I didn't.

Finally November

2007-11-04T19:28:00.001-08:00

We've finally reached November. Its FINALLY getting cool. The leaves are changing and its time for sweaters. I'm so glad.
We have the party behind us. Now its time to prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I remember this time last year I wasn't a happy girl. We were suffering through THE JUDGE PROBLEM. I now know it was God. He delayed our process for a reason. Its very clear to us now.
This Christmas will be good. We are together. Next Christmas should be even better.
I hope everyone is enjoying (except maybe Kristy) the change in the weather. I'll try to keep up with my posting. I'm mulling alot through my brain lately. I may get into it later. If I do, I'll try to put pretty pictures in the middle, even if the subject isn't the most uplifting. I can't decide whether to start a new blog for just my rantings. I have alot of them. What do you guys think?
Well I'm going to go for tonight. I shall return soon.
Amanda

Early Trick or Treating

2007-10-26T13:40:00.001-07:00

Today we went to an early trick or treat at an office building in town. I'll post more later. We are continuing preparation for our Halloween party.

Our Day

2007-10-16T18:44:00.001-07:00

Kristy, you asked for pictures. So here you go.
Today we started getting ready for our Halloween party. We got our pumpkins. Me and a friend of mine made some chocolates for the party. We had a soccer game again this evening. Last night we tied (1-1). Tonight we lost something like 4-0. We always lose count.
Yesterday we went to the doctor. Ananya is scheduled to have botox again at the end of January. The doctor felt she was getting good results from botox. Well, I'm going to put the baby to bed. Its past her bed time but we didn't get home from the game until 8:45.

Finally Some Pictures!

2007-10-14T14:04:00.001-07:00

8 Months Home

2007-10-10T20:22:00.000-07:00

It has been almost 8 months since we've been home. Its amazing to think about it. Ananya has blossomed and changed so much in that time. She is becoming very out going. She is also a tad spoiled. She is back to not cooperating with the therapists. They get alittle done in the 60 minutes. Some days are better than others though. We are adding a special educator soon. I have to call her back and make an appointment. Ananya has started taking steps when we hold her hands at times. She still isn't bearing all of her weight when taking the steps, but hey it's progress. She loves to play with our kitten. They both play with any piece of paper they find lying around. Its cute. She really likes the keyboard that Grandma gave her as well as her bouncy horse. She actually has 2 horses. 1 is one of the big old ones that they don't sell anymore because they are unsafe. (We have to put her on it and we watch her.) The other is smaller. Her feet touch the ground. She will sit on it and watch TV rocking back and forth every once in a while. Its her favorite. I quickly learned not to put her on it during therapy because she throws a fit if we take her back off it. We seem to have gotten her legs straightened pretty well because she isn't fighting her braces at night. Unfortunately, that means the botox is about at its peak probably and we will be doing it again in a couple of months. We knew that ahead of time though.
She is so cute. She has this scrunchy face she makes when she wants to get out of trouble. It works sometimes, sadly enough. We are going to have no end of problems with her getting her way. I'll add some pictures tomorrow as I'm working tonight. I know that is really what everyone wants to see.

Ananya Sophia Phillips

2007-09-28T13:38:00.000-07:00

That's her name. Today we received a Decree of Adoption. After checking with the courthouse, we know its final. THE ADOPTION IS FINAL.
611 days have passed since the day we first saw her picture.
223 days have passed since we held her the first time.
Today she is ours FOREVER.
We couldn't be happier.
Unlike most other families, we don't have Adoption Day pictures. We didn't have to go to court or anything. I just wrote a nice note to the lady at the Clerk of Court asking her to expedite our finalization and it's done.
THANK YOU GOD!
And thank you to all our friends and family who have supported us throughout the last 611 days.

Anthony's Blog

2007-09-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

I added the link on the side to Anthony's blog. He will start writing hopefully next week. Some of the posts may be all about video games, but it will get him writing. I have posted a picture of our first big project. An "Earth Cake". It turned out cool. Anthony piped the continents.
www.hotrodanthony.blogspot.com

Finally, I'm Back!

2007-09-13T09:41:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't updated in so long. I feel like the last month has been insanity. I have pictures and a new blog to share.
We have started homeschool. We are 3 weeks in. I love it. Anthony Hates it. He isn't really giving it a chance though because he wants to be in school with his friends. That is part of why we are homeschooling. Because he wants to socialize and not get his work done. I've partially lured him with cake and hopefully soon we can start some field trips.That would be as soon as the flippin' insurance company figures out what they are going to do with my car. Last Wednesday night, Patrick was in a pretty bad car accident. Praise the Lord, no one was seriously injured. My Expedition, however, didn't fair so well. Now we are waiting to see if the truck will be fixed or totaled. I personally am hoping it is totaled.Yesterday, Ananya had her Botox done. I must say it was one of the hardest things I have ever gone through with my kids. The used sedation and so I being a nurse was scared to death. She did well however. By yesterday afternoon, I had no idea she even had anything done as she was crawling and playing like normal. She got injections in her arms, hamstrings, and calves. Now we just do lots of stretching and strength building exercises to get the most benefit.

Helping Others

2007-08-29T21:01:00.000-07:00

I've written about this before. I feel the need to write about it again.
Helping others and Charity work.
This is a subject that really never leaves my thoughts. I can't seem to stop thinking of starving children in Africa, children in orphanages all over the world, and poverty in general. Its a huge need. I know that I can't fix all the world's problems. I feel the need to try and make a difference though. I feel like if I put it out there enough with my words then others will see it and try to help. I want my children to see it and not forget it. I want to live my life realizing that there are things that I can do without so I can give. I don't want to leave this world leaving behind alot of wealth. It would be a nice thought for my children. I want them to learn to work for their money. I want them to also remember to give.
Sunday, I got to see Nickleback again. Their songs pepper certain adoption blogs, including mine. If Everyone Cared and Faraway speak inadvertently about the lives and thoughts of adoptive parents. After visiting developing or 3rd world countries, its hard to not remember that other people need basic things so badly. I read a post on another blog that sparked my interest in this subject. Here is the link.
http://justinmasterson.blogspot.com/2007/08/for-my-100th-post-id-like-to-offer-you.html
After reading it, I want to put drops in the bucket. I can't solve huge problems alone. I can, however, remind my friends and family that they should add their drops of water. It doesn't matter what bucket it goes into. Pick a cause and stand for it. Quiet your mind and listen to what God is saying to you. Find an obsession and try to get others to help. I don't care if its the Girl Scouts. Be an organ donor. Convince your family to donate their organs. Donate cord blood if you have a baby. Give blood. There are a million things a person can do that will have an impact on someone.
Open your eyes to the world around you. Make a difference.

Here are Some New Pics :o)

2007-08-23T18:46:00.000-07:00

Ananya was feeling a little better, and she played for a little bit today.
Here they are last week. So cute together.

Anthony fell asleep at the table like this. He stayed up all night. He finally dozed off at 2:45pm.

I'm Still Here!

2007-08-22T23:34:00.000-07:00

Not that anyone comes to visit to know about me, but I'm here. Poor Ananya is fighting a horrible virus this week. We've had 3 days of fever >102. No other symptoms which freaks me out. Tylenol and Motrin every 3 hours. I hate that my baby is so sick. She has been fussy, but actually handling it well. She is a trooper.
We have an appointment in Winston-Salem on Tuesday for a pre-op visit with the orthopedist.
It has been hotter than crap around here. I'll have to drag the kids outside and take pictures soon. I just wish the temperature would stay below 95. We haven't had any rain all summer. The grass has been mowed 2 times. Its that dry here.
Well, I better get back to work. I'll try to post some new pictures soon.

Blogger Quiz

2007-08-22T23:10:00.000-07:00

Here you go Pam...
1. How many blogs are listed under your favorites list that you check EVERY day? I think about 30. Then there are the days I go exploring, I have been lost in Guatemalan adopts before.
2. How many times a day do you "go to the bathroom" and end up checking blogs? Not too much, as Anthony hogs the computer all day and Patrick is on at night. I'm usually on 9:00-11:00am
3. Do your kids recognize the other kids from the blogs that follow?? I don't think so, but my husband does.
4. Do you keep track of how often people update their blogs and get upset when they don't keep to the schedule?? :o) I hate when people don't update their blogs, which reminds me I need to update HEHE
5. Favorite time of day to check blogs? Are you on a blog checking schedule?? I usually check in the morning but will pop back if I get the chance.
6. Who's blog is your favorite? Actually Angel's (The Voice of Adventure) I love Zoe and KK.
7. How many of the blogs that you follow are people that you have never met in person? Almost all but 3. We met Grace and Anila in India and Joy lives down the road.
Ok...now some "getting to know your online friends whom you've never actually met questions"
8 How long have you been married? 6 years
9 Fav. food? Depends on the day. When I'm dieting, strangely enough green olives are my fav
10Fav. TV show? All the CSIs, Bones, Nip/Tuck, Biggest Loser, and Crossing Jordan
11 Anything that you forbid your kids to watch on TV? Not really. Anthony has actually started to watch CSI.
12. How long was your adoption journey from beginning to end? 2 1/2 years since we first started looking for an agency.
13. How did you decide on the country you adopted from? India and Guatemala were the only countries that didn't exclude us because of my age at the time (I was 24). I love Indian culture.
14. What did you imagine your family to be like as a little girl? I figured I would have 4 kids, 2 adopted, 2 bio. 2 boys 2 girls. I always wanted to be there all the time. I have always wanted to get old and have LOTS of grandbabies (still got a while). It seems to be going pretty well.
15. Favorite Momma down time activity? Definitely a book. Sometimes, just coming to work.
16. Do you have more online friends than "in person" friends? Depends on the day and how many times I get asked the dumb adoption questions.
17. Tell us the cartoon character that you are most like: Mandy, from the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy (my sarcasm seeps out ALOT)
18. What toothpaste do you use? which ever one has bright shiny things to attract my attention when I'm running low. :o)
19. Stupiest adoption comment/question that you've recieved? "Does she talk?" why don't you ask her? "She's going to be in high school before you get her" not helpful while I was waiting.
20. Fav. non-adoption website? Biblical Womanhood. Krystal was raised the exact opposite of me. I don't always agree with her opinion but its interesting to read. Her husband actually "courted" her. Like as in old fashioned "courting". Interestingggggg. (Sorry, I'm a blog stalker all the way. Who cares about news. :o)).

Please Visit This Site!!!

2007-08-10T08:45:00.002-07:00

All you Indian Mommas (I know there are alot of you) and Korean Mommas too,

You have to visit this site. It tells the adoption story of a family that adopted a 6 year old from Guatemala.
http://www.thevoiceofadventure.blogspot.com/

Also check out this site. Its a Liberian adoption and she is travelling in 12 days to get her son.
http://bringingisaachome.blogspot.com/

You'll love these blogs. Even if you only read a few posts. And scroll dow alittle on the first to hear about Angel's upcoming mission trips.

Amanda (I'm the worst Blog Stalker)

The Things She Can Get Into! :o)

2007-08-07T07:11:00.000-07:00

I've been slack in taking new pictures. I'm cleaning house. So far I've rid myself of 35 trashbags of things going to the trash and to charity. I've only done 4 rooms in my house!! Ananya keeps finding new things to get into. Not that I'm complaining. I find things to leave around for her. I didn't even realize that there was popcorn in that Spongebob lunchbox. Miss Ananya opened the lunchbox herself and found the popcorn. She is also waving at the camera. She is starting to understand so much that we say to her. Yesterday, she was pushing her swing in the living room. When I asked if she wanted in it, she squealed and nodded her head. I took that as a yes. She is having trouble sleeping lately. When I go to comfort her, she will snuggle up on my shoulder. She is showing more affection towards us. She likes to hug her stuffed bunny give it kisses. We are so happy about the progress that she is making.

We are preparing to finalize the adoption, hopefully this month or early next month. Life is kind of crazy in our house. We are starting homeschooling in 3 weeks. I'm excited, Anthony is excited. Patrick looked through the textbooks and seemed impressed. The My Fathers World ciriculum is exactly what I was looking for. It is very broad. We are both going to learn a little bit about alot of things.

This last picture is for Pap-Paw. Once again she has food all over her face. Spaghetti-O's and chocolate pudding. I just loved the way she propped her arm up on the highchair. I love this girl so much.

Pictures Old and New

2007-08-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

I finally created a slide show of our last 18 months. It has been a crazy journey. It has been well worth it.

Visit to Great-Gram and Pap-paw

2007-07-24T07:22:00.000-07:00

We made it back from PA without any problems. Ananya did pretty good on the trip. She didn't sleep on Tuesday. I mean really. She finally went to bed at about 4 a.m. Of course, we were planning our zoo trip for Wednesday. We made it work and had a good trip. We had fun and saw all the cool animals. Anthony got to go fishing. We visited some family. Well here are the pictures. I'll hopefully have something more meaningful to say, but for today, I have some things to do.

Anthony at Mini golf with the polar bear.

This is Ananya with her great-Grammy.This would be my dad carrying the stroller up the escalator. Why are we carrying the stroller, why not use the elevator?Well this is why. No Power! We had to walk up the escalator. It was really steep.

This is our great navigator.Ananya enjoying the sights in her stroller.My two babies. Ananya is clapping her hands. Her new favorite activity.My dad with the kids.Ananya sitting like a big girl. Notice her huge shoes. She is wearing her braces.

Anthony got a stuffed bat. I got Ananya a hat at the gift shop. She doesn't like wearing hats.

This is the trip out. Still no power.

The beautiful city of Pittsburg.

Anthony enjoying the ride.

We had a great trip and can't wait to go back. I'll include a slide show of the animals later.

And The Days Go By

2007-07-15T17:00:00.000-07:00

The days go by. Anthony gets older. Ananya gets older. My babies are growing. While its fun to watch, I hate to see these days have gone. Ananya got her braces this week. She is tolerating them well. She still does new things each day. No speech, but she is clapping her hands. She smiles so much. Its hard to remember the early days when we first got home and she won't let me put her down.

We are going to PA to spend some time with my Dad and Grammy. We'll be back on Thursday. If I find and internet connection (AKA a Starbucks), I will post some. If not I'll update everyone later. We plan on visiting the Pittsburg Zoo. I'll be a great trip. Bye everyone. See you soon.

Lazy Days :o)

2007-07-05T18:19:00.000-07:00

Thankfully, we are just cruising through summer and relaxing. These pictures pretty much illustrate our days. Ananya still gets therapy twice a week. She is doing well. Her AFO's aren't ready yet I guess as I haven't gotten a call. Me and the kids are getting ready to go to PA the week after next. We are visiting my Dad and Grandma. We may go to the Pittsburg zoo or something while we are up there. That will be fun.

Ananya is still moving right along. Her medicine seems to be working and loosening her up well. She has started clapping her hands. That is really huge for us. She likes swimming.

This day last year we just got a new picture of Ananya. Our papers had been in India for a little over a month. Only 2 weeks and we got NOC issued. Its crazy that all this happened a year ago. It feels like Ananya has been with us forever. I love her so much. She is doing so well. So here are a few pictures. I have been alittle slack and haven't been taking many pictures.I wanted to send a few hellos. Mom I hope your bronchitis is getting better. Gram, I hope you feel better and have a good week with Aunt Glenda. See you soon. And BIG CONGRATULATIONS to my Dad. He got his Lifetime membership at Weight Watchers. I'm eating cookie dough as I type this. I'll try to be better about posting pictures.

Progress!!

2007-06-14T16:40:00.000-07:00

Today was an interesting day. Me and Naany have spent the last 2 days in the house alone. Daddy had a meeting out of town and brother is at the beach for the week with Grandma and Grandpap. By this morning, I was getting stir crazy. I didn't really feel like going anywhere though. So of course, I started baking. I made blueberry muffins first. Somewhere along the way I decided that a chocolate cake would be good. So I made a cake with homemade icing. Egg whites and simple syrup. It was pretty good, but by the time I finished baking it I really didn't want to eat it. I dyed the icing pink. How much fun is plain white icing?

Today, Ananya kept following me around the house today. To most people, thats no big deal. To know Ananya, you know that its a great impovement. Pretty awesome. I turned around for a minute and found a deck of cards scattered everywhere in the living room. Later, while I was baking the cake and making the icing, Ananya decided it would be fun to play in the dog's water dish. I couldn't do anything but laugh at her. Notice in the 2nd picture how wet her dress is. P.S. After this we promptly cleaned her hands and arms with Purrell

Four months ago, we met a little girl who is so strong. She is determined and has a mind of her own. When we met her though, she didn't know how to play. She didn't play with toys. She didn't crawl around or move much. In the last few days, she has started venturing out of the living room. She can get into the kitchen. She was actually PLAYING in the dog's water. She has learned how to play, how to chew, how to suck. She is doing awesome. I can't wait to see what is in store for us. Well its almost bedtime. We have to go drink our milk.

Making a Difference

2007-06-12T20:57:00.000-07:00

Hi All!

I'm on a new kick. Those of you who know me aren't surprised by this. Once I start something new I think that everyone should do it.

I want to make a difference in the world. MY ADOPTION DOES NOT COUNT. I know we made a difference in Ananya's life. She has made a huge difference in our lives though. I want to make a BIG difference. I want to help alot of people. At the present moment, the Matra Sneha orphanage is my mission. I'm trying to figure out how to link a paypal account to my blog to accept donations. Until then, the charity is Orphancare through Dillon International, our adoption agency. https://www.givedirect.org/give/givefrm.asp?Action=GC&CID=528 This link goes directly to the page to donate.

OK. Now I'll back up and tell everyone what got me started. The other day we received a simple flyer from Dillon about needs that the orphanage in India has. Specific needs are 2 radiant warmers for preemies, pediatric stethoscopes, CD players, bouncy chairs or walkers, and indoor play equipment. The needs listed on the flyer are less than $2000. I wish that I had the money laying around to just send it. I, unfortunately, don't. I know there are alot of people out there who wouldn't think a thing of donating $5 or $10. That money could add up quickly. To see the orphange and the children out on the street in Kolkata is incredible. My family's eyes have been opened. Patrick and I can just think back to our trip and realize that a lunch at McDonalds is a waste. There are people who need things more. I hope within a few years to be able to just write a check when the need is presented. Right now, I'm going to try and bring awareness to as many people as possible. I'm going to try and think of some local things I can do to raise money. I feel the need to spread the word. I hope that I can make alittle difference. I just feel like presenting the opportunity to many of you will just bring awareness.

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people,especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

Galatians 6:10, New International Version

Days Fly By

2007-05-31T19:33:00.000-07:00

I must say that I'm horrible at keeping my blog updated. I read other blogs and they are updated every few days if not every day. Here it has been 2 weeks and I'm just now updating. Oh well. Here I am. We have been busy and I can't really name too many of the things we have been doing. We went to my mom's for a cookout on Saturday for Ananya to meet more family. I found out that the family is growing. My cousin is having a baby early next year. My aunt and uncle got to see Ananya. It was a bitter sweet reunion as they lost their son in 2005. They need prayers. It is still tough on them. But it was nice to see them hold my daughter. BTW, that is Anthony's friend in the background. He isn't a member of the family.

Ananya is doing wonderfully. She has started crawling on a regular basis. She is able to crawl on the hardwood floor. She has been in the floor and in the grass as well. She reaches for us more when we are feeding her. She is an absolute joy. She is so stubborn. If she doesn't get what she wants, she will throw a fit. We are learning to handle it more now. This is my mom.

I'm thankful everyday for God's blessing to be able to raise my daughter. I can not imagine the pain her birthmother endured for me to be able to do this. I wish that she could know that her daughter is safe. That she has a family. And she is thriving. She brings joy to us everyday.

In other news, we have decided to home-school Anthony. We will start in the fall. We are going to use My Father's World ciriculum. I think Anthony will do well. I already have our first field trip planned. We are going to Biltmore Estate in September. I think that it will be fun. Anthony has also started a list of the things he wants to try. So far we are going to try karate, soccer, gymnastics, soccer, and today's newest, tennis lessons. I think that 1 or 2 a semester will be ok. I also want to try swimming lessons. I have a fish. He has already been swimming twice at Grandmas and the pool just opened. So anyways, next year will be even busier than this year. This was his painting submitted for the Fine Arts competition last month. Budding Artist.

Now alittle about Mommy. I decided somewhere along the way since we got home that I love my life but wasn't necessarily happy with myself. So of course, I decided to change myself. This isn't an easy task, by the way. My biggest change is God's role in my life. I'm sad to say that up to this point, God hasn't played the biggest role in my life. I have started searching out His Word. I'm trying to figure out how to become involved in a church. ***I work EVERY saturday night because I only have to work 2 days for full time pay and benefits.*** The church that I want to go to has a service a 10:00am. Preaching doesn't start until 11:00am. I think that sometimes it goes on for a while. I just don't think that it would be good to just stay up on Sundays. I'm not my best and brightest if I don't sleep. I have to investigate more, but I think they may have a Wednesday service. That of course solves the problem. If anyone has any other solutions, let me know. I have started trying to improve my health by changing my diet and exercising. I'm not doing it so much for myself. I know that I'll feel better though. I just feel like I need to provide a good example to the people around me. My family, my friends and my patients. We are on a financial makeover too. I won't go into detail, but hopefully this will allow us to give a whole lot more to others. The trip to India was so eye opening for me especially. I want to go back. I want to do mission work in the country I love so much. I want to visit beautiful India again many times. These children are in my thoughts daily. I will do everything that I can to help them for my life now. They are so precious. ( Sorry, I've removed the picture).

Well I'm going to run. I have to get some sleep and start over again tomorrow. Before I go, I'm going proclaim my faith.

Jesus Christ is my Savior. He is the only Begotten Son of God. I'm not perfect and never can be. I will sin. But I am saved through the Grace of the One True Living God. He sent His Son to Die for me so that I may be saved.

I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish therace and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given to me -- thetask of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. -- Acts 20:24 NIV

Wonderful Days

2007-05-14T21:21:00.000-07:00

My life is full of wonderful days. I have a handsome son, and gorgeous daughter, and a great husband. I have great parents and wonderful friends. Over the last couple of days, I've done alittle crying because of this.

My daughter blows kisses to me because she is looking at me. She reaches for me when I'm vaccuming her rug. She reached up for me.

All of this sounds like normal behavior for a 2 year old. Well, its not that easy when you adopt a child who is 2. Sometimes they don't know to do these things. It takes time to learn. Learn that Mommy loves you unconditionally. That Daddy loves you. That seeing you smile will melt someones heart.

In the morning, I get snuggles. Ananya is just waking up (because I turned the light on) and when I hold her she cuddles next to me. Hugs at any other time aren't as easy to come by. My baby doesn't really know how to hug. She has learned though that Mommy, Daddy, and even brother will give her an unlimited supply of kisses when she wants them.

She laughs when I say "I love you". I yearn for the day when she will say "I love you Mommy". It will come with time. But that day will melt my heart all over again.

Some days I know my strength and energy will have to come from God because I'm tired. Other days, I praise God for blessing me with such wonderful children. I have a son who is in awe of his sister as much as Patrick and I are. Who is patient and friendly with everyone that he meets. I have a daughter who fights everyday to learn new things. Who amazes everyone regularly with the new things she learns.

For Mothers Day I was just greatful for my children. Without them I wouldn't celebrate. It wasn't about me but them. They are the greatest wonder. I can only hope and pray that God will bless me with more children. To be their mother, it is and will be the greatest thing I can ever accomplish.

Updates

2007-05-07T20:17:00.000-07:00

First, sorry that I haven't updated in so long. We have been busy and I'm adjusting to working again and have been very tired.

We started therapy last week. Speech on Mondays and PT and OT on Wednesdays. Lots of work to do. Ananya has decided that she hates speech therapy. The first week she tolerated about 15 minutes before she started crying and we trudged through another 15 minutes before moving to play type therapy. This week, Kerry (our speech therapist) walked in and Ananya started crying. She won't let me put her down so we didn't have the best session. PT and OT aren't that bad. They do more of what we do with her already. Stretching and strengthening. Poor baby needs baby yoga. We should start to see results soon.

I must say that this doll is doing wonderful. She is making great progress before therapy can start to do its job. Last week she finally started drinking out of a sippy cup. She is sucking very well now. She drank half of a sippy cup yesterday before we resorted to drinking without the lid. She has decided to be loud again and is vocalizing alot. All of her normal sounds. We are trying to give her new ones to imitate now. She is sitting up straighter. She is sitting longer on her bottom too.

The all time greatest though is that she moved. She bounces up and down when she sits on her knees. Well last Saturday, she decided to bounce around the rug. I mean really around. She went 3 or 4 feet BOUNCING!!! It was the funniest thing. She looked like a little bunny.

Yesterday we all went strawberry picking with some friends. Ananya loves to be outside. She would only eat the strawberries that I gave her bites of. Maybe next year she will be with the other kids chowing down as she picks.

I can not say enough about how much this girl is a blessing to our family. It feels like she has been here forever. I've been surfing other blogs and this morning I was in tears. I was watching a slide show by a mom who is waiting to bring her baby home. The family went on a visit (a Guatemala adoption). I can remember the pain of the wait so vividly. I would not trade one tear though. The waiting was definitely more than worth the reward. It honestly made me strong in my faith. I know that God is in control and all of the things she can't do are coming. I have to be patient. I try to keep looking for all the little things she does new each day. She is so happy now. She smiles so much. She makes us smile.

MY KIDS ROCK!!!!

On a personal note. I'm dieting with some other bloggers. These women are such a great support. We are all on a mission to make PERMANENT changes in our life to model a healthy life for our children. Anyone interested in joining us, the site is www.nomorejunkytrunk.blogspot.com. I have been doing well and lost a few pounds in almost 2 weeks. I've been trying to exercise at least 3 times a week as well.

I'm going to go to sleep now. We have our 2nd postplacement visit on Thursday.

I can't believe that we have been a family of 4 for 11 weeks now. Its just great.

Pictures From the Weekend :oD

2007-04-22T18:39:00.000-07:00

I had a mini photo session this weekend. I got a couple of pictures with Anthony but mostly Ananya. We'll try again maybe tomorrow for Anthony's pictures.

I didn't even realize at the time that I caught her making a bubble.

This is Ananya's newest talent. She blows kisses.

My handsome boy in his outfit from India.

As you can tell, he is such a great big brother.

I just love this outfit. I have more in other sizes and colors.

This is her Easter dress. We are alittle late getting pictures taken, but my favorite studio in town closed.

They look like they are having deep thoughts.
We are doing well. All of Ananya's therapies start in the morning. She should be worn out. It will be nice to see what she can accomplish with therapists instructing us how to push her.
I just wanted to share some pictures of how big the kids are getting.

Huge Windstorms!! :o(

2007-04-16T19:07:00.000-07:00

Ok. Today we had a huge windstorm on the east coast. We had crazy wind, like almost tornado. The skies were completely clear. We had blue skies and few clouds. Trees are down. We lost shingles off our roof. We meet with the insurance adjuster on Friday. I can't believe it.

On other fronts, Ananya is doing well. Her eating has picked up again. Her sleep schedule is normalizing. She is drinking her milk well before bed. She is picking up new skills. She will blow kisses sometimes. She loves to play "Hands Up!". We are still waiting for her services to start. I don't think that we are losing much though. She is still making progress. Her postures are getting better. She is doing so well with Daddy on the weekends. She is eating an sleeping good without me. I'm so happy. I don't have anything to worry about when I'm gone.

Our puppies are doing well. I started feeding them dog food today. I put food out for mom and went to feed the other dogs. When I turned back around, all 8 puppies were in the dog food. I quickly mixed up their dinner and they ate almost all of it. I hope getting them weaned and finding homes will help mom become healthier. She is just so skinny right now because she is taking such good care of all 8 of them.

The Last Couple Days

2007-04-12T16:59:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, we went to the doctor. Ananya had her big doctor visit with all of her blood work. Now, hopefully its over and done with. Poor Ananya had to get 3 vials of blood drawn (that took 2 sticks), then they stuck her finger. After that we had to get her TB test done. I think those are the worst. She handled it like a pro. She fussed alittle while they were drawing the blood, but quickly was smiling afterwards. She even let the nurse-practitioner hold her afterwards. She is really becoming a sweetheart. She has gained 1lb and 4oz. She is up to 17 lb 71/2oz. Her eating has slowed way down. I just keep trying to shove food in if she if fussing because she is hungry. Mostly I just give her food and see if she swallows it. I took some pictures this week that I think turned out pretty good. I need to hold Anthony down and take his picture. I want to start taking a picture of the every month so that I can see how much they change. I need to go feed my dog. I'll post pictures of her puppies soon. They are too adorable. Anyone want one?

The Kind of Person I Want To Be

2007-04-09T20:03:00.000-07:00

Please click this link to watch this video. You have to see it to understand what I'm saying. http://cjcphoto.com/can/

I love the story that is told. I have heard this story from several sources. The video is amazing. Now my opinion.

I want to be like this man. I want to be able to give my children joy, even if it is difficult for me. Now I don't know how many of you have ever run. I work with people who run, bike and do triathlons. It is not easy. The pain and physical scars involved in running a marathon is incredible. I can only imagine how much pain this man went through to push his child for 26.2 miles, not to mention the triathlons.
I want to be the kind of person who will do anything for someone else. I want to give my children joy, but I want to be able to make sacrifices that are extremely difficult to make other people (even those who aren't family) happy. I can only pray and ask God to give me the strength and peace to sacrifice for others. I can only ask for stength and guidance for God. I'm human and not always strong enough to sacrifice what I want.
I have included the lyrics to one of my favorite songs by my FAVORITE band, Nickleback. The song describes how I have started to feel since starting this journey of growing our family. I know God has shown me others needs and given me the strength to help. I am not perfect. I can only try to be strong and pray.
If Everyone Cared
From underneath the trees, we watch the sky
Confusing stars for satellites
I never dreamed that you'd be mine
But here we are, we're here tonight
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive Singing Amen, I, I'm alive
If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died
And I'm singingAmen I, Amen I, I'm alive
Amen I, Amen I, Amen I, I'm alive
And in the air the fireflies
Our only light in paradise
We'll show the world they were wrong
And teach them all to sing along
Singing Amen, I, I'm alive Singing Amen, I, I'm alive(I'm alive)
And as we lie beneath the stars
We realize how small we are
If they could love like you and me
Imagine what the world could be
If everyone cared and nobody cried
If everyone loved and nobody lied
If everyone shared and swallowed their pride
Then we'd see the day when nobody died

Hi All!!

2007-04-06T08:29:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! Well tonight is the night. I'm going back to work. I'm not especially thrilled but I know Ananya will sleep through it and I'll see her in the morning. YEAH!! For once mom will only get the cheerful part. Last night me and Anthony went to the movies. We saw "Meet the Robinsons". It was really good. The storyline was actually about a boy in an orphanage. The movie was 3D and we ended up with some cool glasses as you can see. I was happy to have a day out with my boy. He has been out of school this week. We have been lazy. As you can see I cut my hair. I was able to donate it to "Locks for Love". Its a whole lot shorter now but so much easier to deal with. Pretty soon Ananya's hair will be as long as mine. Her hair is growing so fast. Its so much like Anthony's because it is unruly. Hopefully that will get better as it grows.

She is really starting to gain weight. I can't wait to go back to the doctor to see how much she gained. I'm not sure the weight we got from the nutritionist was the same as the doctors. She definitely feels like she has gained more than 10 ounces. Some of her clothes fit better now. I was hoping to get their Easter Pictures taken this week. I wanted to get family pictures done too. Unfortunately I didn't do it yet. Either I'll take them this afternoon or they will be spring pictures that are taken next week. Well, I have to go take a nap while Ananya is sleeping. Its going to be hard to stay up all night after living like a normal person for 7 weeks.

Have a good weekend. Happy Easter.

Wonderful Weekend :o)

2007-04-02T18:40:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend as we celebrated Anthony's birthday on Friday night. We started the day with a pizza party at school for his class. He had 2 very special guests at his party. His Papaw and Grammy (great-grandmother) made the trip all the way from Pennsylvania to celebrate with us. Anthony had 9 guests at his party and boy did they have a ball. They got lots of tickets, played laser tag 4 times, rode bumper cars, played putt-putt golf and generally ran wild. I was kind of upset (not really) because no one ate any of my cake that I spend 2 hours icing. They just wanted to play. Oh well. Anthony got some cool presents and just generally got to have lots of fun with his friends.

Ananya enjoyed the company too. She got to meet all her brothers classmates. They all just love to talk to her. She got to meet her Grammy and Papaw for the first time. She really likes them. She didn't want Mommy to take her back from her Papaw (we were all shocked). She let some of the parents at the party hold her too. She is doing so well. We had a weekend full of new skills. She started waving some. She will open both of her hands when Grammy asks her and sometimes when Mommy or Daddy ask. She likes to put her arms over her head now too. She wants to crawl so bad. She will move 1 hand and 1 leg and then think real hard about what is next. Then she sits up and looks at what she wants trying to figure out how to get to it. She got a birthday gift from her Papaw too. We found a great wagon at Northern tool that has big wheels that will go good at the beach. She likes to ride in it. Her bumbo seat fits snuggly in it so that she is stable and safely sitting up. We were all sad when Grammy and Papaw had to leave for home this morning. Hopefully we will see them soon. To all our fans in PA, we will definitely be home for Thanksgiving this year. Ananya can meet everyone then.

We continue to have daily struggles with Ananya. Her mood can flip rather quickly and she can't tell us what she needs. She hasn't eaten as well in the last few days as she has since we got home. I'm not sure what is wrong but I'm going to have to include snacks in the schedule now. She was eating so well before that she really didn't have room for food between meals. The nutritionists wants her to have about 1200 calories a day! I may start to monitor her calories for a couple days to see if I'm getting close with her eating less. I'm trying not to stress too much about it. We meet with the therapists this week to get started. I'm hoping to start speech soon because I really need her to start chewing her food.

She is such a doll to have around. I love her so much. I've been blessed with this wonderful family. My children are great. They love each other so much. My husband is a patient and wonderful father. I have loved spending my days and nights home with them. I am going back to work on Friday night. I know they will get along without me (they always have) but I'm a mom and need to feel needed.

I'm following the adoption journeys of others from our agency through their blogs. Several of the families that traveled in 2006 to meet their children are starting the journey again. I'm jealous of them. As much as having Ananya has filled our house and our hearts, it shows me there is room for more. I so want my house full (with this house it won't take much more). I want to watch a big family grow older. This is probably a surprise to my dad who is no doubt reading this. We are both only children. Only God knows what is in store for my family. I can only pray for his blessings and follow his guidance to my children.

Have a wonderful Easter everyone. Don't forget to thank God for all He has blessed you with as we remember what He sacrificed for us.

Happy Belated Birthday to Prasun!! This Indian Angel turned 2 on Friday! I was thinking of you baby!

A Birthday!! :o)

2007-03-29T20:33:00.000-07:00

In just a few minutes, my baby turns 9. I'm not quite sure where the time went. I just finished his cake and cupcakes. Its Lightening McQueen. I'll post more pictures of the day and the party later this weekend.

Sorry to be so Glum :o)

2007-03-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post a couple pictures and show everyone how beautiful my princess is. All of the pain I described in my previous post is gone. Now we deal with the day to day reality of finally having Ananya. We are planning Anthony's birthday party on Friday evening. He is going to be 9. I can't believe how time has flown. I'll say it again. Anthony is the greatest big brother. He loves his sister so much. He is always giving her kisses and hugs. He like to hold her and carry her around. He is the greatest. His grades have improved greatly since we got home. It seems that he takes his new responsibilities very seriously. I will post more after the party. We are having company for the weekend as well. Grammy (Ananya's Great-grandma) and Pa-Paw (Ananya's grandfather) are coming to visit for the weekend. We can't wait to see them.

A Look Back At 2006

2007-03-25T07:47:00.000-07:00

I feel the need to journal here what has been going through my mind for at least a week. One of my new "blogger friends" did something similar and it gave me the courage to put this in writing.

2006 was "The Year Of The Adoption" for my family. We started in 2005. I never thought during our homestudy (October to January) that we were weeks away from seeing our daughter's picture. I wasn't prepared to start waiting for her. January 23rd 2006 was the day that we saw Ananya's picture. We even decided to keep her orphanage name. We dropped our choice of Alexis quickly. Ananya was our daughter and that was her name. The problem became that our homestudy hadn't been approved yet. We couldn't just sign the papers and wait for the courts. We still had paper gathering to do. Once we finally started, I couldn't seem to get all the papers together to send them. I went to 6 different counties to get documents certified. This is no small task when you work 2 nights during the work week. 2 of the counties were over an hour away. The others were in all different directions. It didn't help that I was overwhelmed by the amount of things I had to gather. I wasn't prepared. It was "baptism by fire". Next time I'll be more prepared. I looked at Ananya's picture everyday and it made it harder to work. So early in the year my mood started to fall.

FINALLY in May we were ready to sign our acceptance papers. The beginning of June we started our wait for the Indian government. I thought we should have her for Christmas. I didn't let my heart get set on a date though. We went on vacation a couple weeks later. It was simply torture for me. I didn't want to do anything without my daughter. It started to get harder to enjoy my son. Looking back I feel terrible. I was so closed off that at times, my precious boy couldn't bring me back out. I was so focused on my daughter. It was unfair. The middle of July we got word that the first part of the process was approved. I couldn't be happier. We should have been able to travel in about 3 months. We should have gotten Ananya in October. I had many days to work past the anger in not having her when I thought we should have. It was not an easy leap to realize that God showed us Ananya when we were to see her and and He gave her to us when we were supposed to hold her. I fought my way through Halloween. I had bought a t-shirt for her. I fought my way through Thanksgiving, we didn't take our normal trip to Pennsylvania because we could be leaving soon. I missed my Dad and my Grammy and my aunt Carol's stuffing balls. I missed my family that day. I'm so used to having Thanksgiving with about 40 people. It was me and Patrick and my friend Teena. It wasn't right. So we continued to live each day hoping for word that we could leave soon. It never came. We got court dates that meant nothing. There came a point when I didn't cry. Those who know me know I'm an emotional person always. Not anymore. I didn't feel. Christmas was coming. I did my shopping. Got Anthony his favorite things. I baked my usual cookies. I hated it. It wasn't right. I didn't have much left in me. I couldn't sleep. At 3 in the morning I would be awake praying that my daughter knew I was coming. That she was getting hugs and kisses. That she wasn't lonely. Somewhere along the way God made the wait alittle easier. He gave me strength to look at my husband and my son and realize they were my gifts as well. In the last year, I have pulled away from them more than I ever care to admit. I spent alot of time sleeping. What else could I do. When I was awake, it was always right there. Breaking my heart alittle more at a time. I stuggled through this with 3 other friends. I could hear my emotions in their voices. I prayed for their children to come home almost more than for us to get Ananya.

Before Christmas, we were finally granted guardianship and only had to wait on passport. I never got the relief I would have expected. I still almost couldn't function on a daily basis. I went to work and did what I absolutely had to. Nothing more. We ran into delays with the passport process too. I finally just had to laugh when the passport office actually caught fire. I think it was the day we had to decide if we would buy our tickets. The freaking office caught on fire. What could I do but laugh. We proceed with plans anyway. Nothing would stop us at that point. Patrick made the decision. I couldn't.

Now we have our daughter. I'm so happy. I love everyday. My children are a gift and I love my family. We have all grown from our trip. Anthony's teacher has seen changes in his work. She said he is doing much better and focusing. I'm still struggling alittle. It wasn't the instant change that I expected. It didn't get better overnight. Mostly I'm still trying to figure out what to do with myself.

As for what I would do differently. That is a hard call. I announced so early that we were doing this. I won't do that again. I wanted to actually hit people by November when they asked questions. Of course some were phrased as "well she's going to be grown (or in college) before you get her" I hated that. To me it was the least sympathetic and most hurtful thing anyone could say. I lived each day for an email. Praying that today would bring news that our case was heard. My personal decisions are going to be kept more of a secret. People will know early if I think they will be supportive. These will most likely be the people who aren't going to ask everytime I see them what is going on. I don't want to defend the process again. It is what it is. India is not full of horrible people who just want to keep my baby away from me. I'm not going to try and explain that nearly as much. I'm going to journal more (sorry to those of you who read regularly). I'm going to enjoy my life as God has made it and anticipate the day when it gets better. My family is a gift and I don't want to take them for granted. I've learned to love each moment. I don't know that anyone can fully understand what I'm saying until you have lived it. I felt like my child was being held hostage. I didn't know for sure if she was sick (rationally I know they would have told me). I didn't know if she was having a bad day. I had to learn to trust God to look after my entire family. I can't control everything. I had to change my view. I had to depend on God for support. He brought me this far. He will finish the journey. He knows the ending.

I wrote this mostly for myself. I needed to let it out. I wrote it partly for someone else. I don't know if they will read it. You said I never talked about the adoption with you. Well here is the reason for so much of what you saw. I don't know that you'll accept it as a reason but there it is anyways. I hope you can see where I've been and how hard it was for me.

Pictures :o)

2007-03-19T19:56:00.000-07:00

Hi. We're still around. I'm posting more pictures. Ananya is growing everyday. She is getting stronger and learning new things. We love having her around. We have been to the neurologist. He agrees with our plan. We met with our coordinator from the Childrens Development Center. We are hoping to start therapy in the next week or so. We are scheduled for our formal evaluation on April 18th. We are waiting for the Pediatrician to get back from her honeymoon to schedule our next doctor visit. This next one isn't going to be fun. They have to draw blood.

Ananya has her ears pierced now. She only cried for a minute (literally). She even smiled for the lady that pierced her ears after it was over. The sales clerk then started asking us about ou agency and such. She is looking into adoption.

I can't believe how often just telling our story gets other people thinking. I love to tell others about Ananya, and about Dillon, and about all the children that are waiting. I know that everyone reading this already knows how I feel but I'll say it again. I LOVE ADOPTION!! It has brought us the greatest gift. It has given us incite. We enjoy every day.

Ananya got her own swing for her brothers swing set today. She likes to sit in it and look around with mommy pushing her. She doesn't mind being in the backyard with the dogs barking. She likes the animals. We played with bubbles today. I don't think she paid much attention to them. She likes being on the trampoline. Her favorite game is "bouncy". On the trampoline she can stand with me and bounce.

Well, we have had a long day and I'm going to bed. Here are some pictures from the last week.

The Last Few Days

2007-03-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

My 2 wonders actually like each other. And this is what happens when daddy dresses the baby. Her tights are on her head.

Tuesday was a busy day for us. Ananya and Mommy drove to Winston-Salem (about an hour and 15 minutes away) to visit the neurologist. In doing this we missed our initial appointment with the Child Development Center. I still have to reschedule that appointment, but the woman doing the evaluation lives close by and can easily come by on her way home. The neurologist looked at the records and agrees with the treatment plan so we came back home. No new tests ordered. YEAH!! We ran lots of errands on the way home as well.

Ananya has now decided that she doesn't want to go to sleep at night. We do ok at naptime, but at bedtime it is a struggle. The last 3 nights have been terrible. We spend about 2 hours trying to get her to sleep. She is still really attached to me and threw a fit Sunday night when Daddy tried to put her to sleep. We have tried a playpen to give her space and that doesn't work either. Oh well, we just keep going and hope that it changes.

Today, she was all smiles and giggles. She ate all of her breakfast (boy can this girl eat). She woke up from her nap and started giving me kisses. It is so wonderful to wake up to a 2 year old giving you kisses. She has started giving kisses now and will kiss her dolls, but she usually gives them when asked to and not at will. It was wonderful.

Anthony continues to be a great big brother. He is getting ready for his first sleepover birthday party this weekend. I think he is excited. We are also planning his 9th birthday party. We are going the same place we went last year. He really enjoyed laser tag and so we will do it again. We are going to have his party during the week just because the place is less crowded and so his guests can roam more free. I can't believe that my baby is about to turn 9. He is getting so big. I don't know where the time has gone.

Today, a big story in the news is that Angelina Jolie is adopting a son from Vietnam. I normally could careless what Hollywood does but this is close to home. I think alot of Angelina because I believe she spends a portion of her life trying to make the lives of others better. I would love to be able to do only a portion of the mission work that she is able to do. I find it amazing that people think that she is just "shopping" for children, when anyone who I know that adopts children internationally is told what a wonderful thing they are doing. To beat all, most of the news stories are not from the person herself but because people have been asking very personal questions about her life. Most of the interviews that I have read, Angelina talks about her experiences, about the people who still are in need. I know that most of you could care less about this, this story means alot to me. It feels close to home. I defend her actions because we have this one thing in common. Adoption rules my life. I happen to think it is the greatest thing God has put in my heart. The entire experience has grown my family. My son has experienced another culture in the process to get his sister. My eyes are open and I want to help others so much more now. I love all of these children and would love to personally find homes for all of them. Sorry, that is my little soap box. My second time today on it. I posted a comment on the MSN discussion board.

Anyways. The days are speeding by. I want it to slow down so we have more time to enjoy Ananya and Anthony. The journey of parenting is amazing. I enjoy everyday of it.

Our First Family Picture

2007-03-10T09:20:00.000-08:00

Here we are together in India.

Pictures :o)

2007-03-08T17:56:00.000-08:00

Just the 4 of Us :o)

2007-03-08T16:32:00.000-08:00

After 3 weeks, we have settled into a routine (most of the time). We had a really busy week here in the Phillips' household. We started with a visit from our local social worker on Monday morning. She enjoyed finally seeing the baby and we went through all the standard questions. We spent the day with Daddy. I went to the doctor (just a normal checkup as well as my ears have been bothering me since we got back). Ananya had her nap in the waiting room with Daddy while I saw the doctor. On Tuesday, Ananya had her first doctors visit with our pediatrician. She now weighs 16 pounds and 3 ounces. She is 31 1/2 inches tall. This is why all of her cloths don't fit. She wears 18 months in length and 6-9 around the waist. We didn't do anything traumatic yet but boy did she scream. We will go back in a couple of months to get blood drawn and such. Joy, Joy. We got referrals for a child development center and the pediatric neurologist and orthopedist. We will probably see them in the next few months. Wednesday we got all off schedule for no apparent reason. I'm hoping tomorrow will allow us to follow the plan and get back on schedule.

Ananya is doing wonderfully. She still cries for me when she is tired or hungry. She has let a couple of people hold her for a minute or 2 while I'm there. She has started to reach for more of her toys, and moving around more on the rug in the living room. She has started to vocalize more sounds. She has learned how to give kisses (they are the open mouth baby ones). She will pet (slap and pull fur) one of our dogs and one of our cats at times. Peanut (Patrick's little dog) actually just moves closer and lets Ananya poke her in the eye more. Some days it is hard to see progress. Other moments, I can look back and see the things that she is doing now that she wasn't doing 3 weeks ago. It is just incredible to watch.

Anthony has handled the transition well. He finished the last of his school work today that he missed while we were gone. He finished all the tests in like 3 days. He is getting back into the groove of school. He is transitioning into being the most awesome big brother. He just walks up to Ananya and tries to make her smile and he likes to give her random kisses. If she is crying, he first tries to calm her down by stopping what he is doing to play with her. If that doesn't work, he picks her up to bring her to me. He even supports her head while carrying her because he knows she will throw herself backwards if she is really upset. Last night, Anthony laid down on the floor next to Ananya and was telling her how much he loves her. The adoration really goes both ways though. Every night at dinner, Ananya looks over at Anthony and starts hollering at him. She knows already that he will holler right back. Pretty soon everyone at the table is yelling just for fun.

I'm enjoying my time at home. This really is a first for me to just stay home and be Mom. I kind of miss work. I just like having that time where I'm really a grown up. I miss taking care of patients alittle. I love being a nurse. I also know that because I only work at night, I won't miss too much. This time at home though has been good for all of us. I have just realized in the last few days the true extent of the last year on me as a person. I have changed. I was depressed during all this waiting. I really couldn't see it, but before we left it was so hard to just work up a smile. I'm sorry that Anthony had to deal with that. I'm glad that it is over now. I have part of my life back that I never knew that I was missing. The empty space inside me is filled. My family doesn't have a hole in it anymore.

As you can tell, I'm completely caught up in the wonder of this little girl (and her brother). They are amazing. I wake up in the morning and see Ananya sleeping next to me. She is beautiful. Next, I go wake Anthony up (after taking a second to brush my teeth, anyone else forget to shower when they spend all day staring at the baby). I brushed his hair back this morning and realized how big he has gotten. I carried him to bed last week and almost dropped him. He weighs almost 60lbs now. I'm not quite sure where my baby boy went. We will be getting family portraits taken for Easter in the next couple weeks. I'll share those pictures with everyone.

I wanted to let everyone know how much we appreciate all the support, prayers, and gifts we have received in the last year. There are so many people we have leaned on when the journey was its hardest. You all made the wait so bearable.

To those who are waiting, enjoy everyday. I know that seems like a crazy thought. While you are waiting for a referral, you may want the days to speed by. Enjoy life. Once you have your child, it is harder to slow back down and enjoy everyday. Having a 9 year old, I realize how much you should enjoy everyday. You turn around and they are doing word problems. The day will come sooner than you could realize when you can bearly remember these feelings. The love you will feel overcomes all the heartache. This time is wonderful.

I will add more pictures soon, but it is not letting me attach them to this post.

2 Weeks as a Family

2007-02-28T18:12:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow marks 2 weeks as a family. We are all doing great. Ananya is adjusting to her home well. We are trying to establish a schedule. Its not going too well. I have to give it more time. Ananya has made so many improvements since coming home. She is now starting to bear weight on her legs when we stand her up. She is starting to play with her toys. She likes to eat. She eats everything I give her and throws a fit if I don’t feed her fast enough when she is hungry. It is amazing to watch her develop everyday. We made a trip to the doctor today. Anthony has pulled a muscle in his leg. It did not seem to be improving and I just wanted to check it out. The doctor gave him permission to be lazy for a couple days and stay off of it.

We have a visit with our social worker on Monday. Ananya has her first doctor’s appointment on Tuesday. We can hopefully start PT, OT and speech therapy soon so that we see many more improvements.

I love my life. I love watching my children play together. I love watching Patrick play with Ananya. I love watching Ananya smile when I walk into the room. She is gorgeous. Her and Anthony together are more than I could have ever dreamt of. Everyone always says that you love your child more than life itself and the love does not diminish when you have more children, but it is multiplied. I never worried about loving Anthony less, but I am still amazed by the feelings that I forgot I had when Anthony was younger. After waiting so long to have another child in our house, I am amazed. Its like starting over again. Sometimes it feels like I’ve never done this before. I will try to be more diligent about posting but at the present moment we are having computer problems. I’ll post more later. I will try to take more pictures and post them as well.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ANANYA!!!

2007-02-25T17:45:00.000-08:00

Today our baby turned 2. She handled the day very well. We are trying to establish a schedule at home. Anthony is just a great big brother to Ananya. I'm so proud of him. We had some great pictures taken. I've attached a few of them now. We opened birthday and late Christmas presents at Grandmas. We had a Strawberry Shortcake birthday cake that Grandma bought. She didn't really know what to do with it so I stuck her hands in it.

The trip home went well. We didn't rest well on the flights though. We are all happy to be home and eating our normal foods. I'm going to bed now since I got both kids asleep by 8:00. I'll post more tomorrow.

We Will Be Home Tomorrow!!!!

2007-02-22T09:44:00.000-08:00

OK. I'm so excited. I've told Anthony several times to go to sleep and here I am on the internet. I CAN'T SLEEP! I just want to leave so we can be back in America (cue the Star Spangled Banner). We leave the hotel between 630 and 645 am. We fly out at 955. The funny thing is that I want home so bad but I want to come back soon. It has been beautiful, starving but beautiful. I was not at all prepared for the dietary needs of Ananya, but most of the things that she needs (or I think that she needs) are at Food Loin. I will miss India. Never have I seen such driving. Its crazy yet fascinating. We had a lazy morning and left the hotel at about 330. We ran by the doctor again because I realized they never gave me Ananya's shot record back. When I realized that I almost threw up with worry. No worry though after a tense minute the lovely lady pulled out the right file and handed me all my paperwork back. We walked through Khan Market for awhile. We ate Indian McDonalds (that was an experience, Anthony got a kids meal and I had to give him my sandwich because his chicken was ground and mixed with curry.) The crispy type chicken sandwich isn't bad though. Remember to order it without lettuce. We bought a few gifts then had the driver drive us literally where ever he thought we should see. He took us to several tombs with beautiful gardens and through some slightly crowded streets. We returned to the shop where I had my shopping spree and picked up the items that were hand made for me (OHHH, AHHH very fancy). Then back to the hotel. I tried on one of my sarees. I'm pretty sure I got the crazy thing on right. Patrick thought it was beautiful. I wore one of my new suits to dinner at the Japanese restraunt in the hotel (Patrick keeps wondering where the shrimp sauce is). Dinner was good and it was the 2nd time we ate in the restraunt. Ananya threw another fit later this evening. She was way over tired because she work up from her nap too early. She had her 2nd bath this morning after a good breakfast at the buffet. She had yogurt, banana, and sugar doughnut. Mommy however didn't get to eat because they started clearing the buffet before I got a plate. The service in the hotel hasn't been great. Anytime we are in the restraunt we have to ask for coffe with our breakfast. I wouldn't stay here (the Nikko) again. The Hindusthan in Kolkata however was so great. The staff was wonderful and so helpful. Anytime we asked for something they brought it right away. The waiters in the restraunt just dolled over Ananya and all of us actually. The courtyard was beautiful to sit in during the day. We fly in the morning and Patrick is excited about that. He just loves Lufthansa airlines now. The service on the way here was excellent. I am so glad that our layovers on the way home are shorter. We may have to run to catch our flight to DC because we only have a 1-hour layover in Munich, but in DC we have 3 hours. That should be enough to recharge our appliances (Nintendo DS and IPOD) with AMERICAN wattage (thank god) and get the baby a decent meal (as well as the rest of us). We have had problems with getting the power converters to work here and so I can't post any pictures tonight as my camera is dead. Our other digital (which I can't download DUH forgot to get a USB cord) is now full thanks to the wonderful hotel driver. We have a total of 4 rolls of film to develop when we get home as well. Well I'm going to try and sleep for a few hours now. My next post will be from the good old USA. YEAH!!!! I can't wait to introduce our new princess to everyone. See you soon.

Our Last Day

2007-02-21T23:14:00.000-08:00

This has been one of the greatest trips. Our daughter is amazing. Anthony has been wonderful. He has gotten to see a wonderful country and seen poverty he could never have seen in the US. He has handled it wonderfully. We are all ready to come home though. We want hamburgers at McDonalds and food that isn’t really, really spicy. I personally want people who understand me. Ananya will be happy to be home where she doesn’t have to be in the baby sling so much. She wants to play more. Anthony just wants to go to Grandma’s where he can play. We haven’t seen much of New Delhi except through a car window. I’m too absolutely exhausted to go much of anywhere. Yesterday after we picked up the visa packet, our driver took us to a nice shop. I admit it was rather expensive, but the items are beautiful. I bought myself some gorgeous saris and salvar kemeez. The boutique was more Beverly Hills than we normally do, but they are making all of my sari tops and actually making a few of the outfits. Patrick said it was ok because I don’t normally splurge like that. I know a lot of the things will still be wonderful looking when Ananya is big enough to wear them. One of the scarves is actually a gift for her when she is older. We have one more day to get through. We have to pick up my things at the shop this evening. We have to find something to eat for lunch and dinner. We will be so ready to leave in the morning at probably 6 am to go to the airport. I have to pack all of our stuff again. At least this time I don’t have to worry about having everything with us in case luggage doesn’t make it with us. All I really need is enough formula for the trip and her visa documents. I can’t wait to feel like I’m back in civilization (I just feel like I’m missing everything now because I’m so far away from everyone). Once I have processed the trip I will have some regrets of things that we haven’t done, but I have started to have some system overload and remembered quickly that with Ananya we can’t just continually go everywhere. Anthony too just wants to come back to the hotel and play on the computer. It is 3am and I’m going to try to sleep more. I just haven’t slept well even when I have the chance. I think I just miss having at least 1 dog in bed with me. I can’t wait to talk to everyone and tell you all about my trip. I will try to post pictures later. They will not post right now.
PS Anyone wanting bonus points from me will bring me a large starbucks on Saturday afternoon. They have wonderful coffee here, but I haven’t seen syrups. Anthony wants McDonalds with an unlimited supply of ketchup and all TV in English.

More Pictures :o)

2007-02-20T09:50:00.000-08:00

I wanted to post a few more pictures of our grand adventure.

Checking In

2007-02-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

Wanted to let every one know that we are all still doing well. We had Embassy day today and go to get "THE PACKET" (the visa packet to those who havent been here) tomorrow. We will be all finished tomorrow morning but our flight leaves on Friday. We will try to relax a little and see some sights. Maybe do a little more shopping. We made it to Delhi on Monday night and checked into the hotel at a little after 8pm. Ananya had a great first plane ride and slept most of the 2 hour flight. Mommy however isn't faring so well. I got sick during take off, took dramamine but I knew what I really needed was food. Luckily the angels at Jet Airways serve a meal on a 2 hour flight. I got to eat after Ananya fell asleep. I felt much better and slept through the flight. Anthony has discovered a couple more times that he doesn't truely like Indian food. Mom has a bit of an upset stomach (just heartburn) from all the spices. Our hotel actually serves hamburgers and they have pasta and fried rice. We will survive. There was also an Indian wedding going on when we checked in and Patrick got to see how beautiful Indian brides are. Today was a really busy day and my lack of sleep caught up with me. Once I saw a familar face at the Embassy, I started crying. Poor Anila and Lenin were trying to reassure me that they knew it was hard but it was almost over. I just knew I had forgotten a piece of paper. Luckily after Visa photos (too cute ones to be exact) and a quick doctor visit, I found that we got our exit interview without any problem. Our packet will be ready by 9 am. We had a lovely dinner with our friends Grace and Shane at their hotel. I had to coax my guys out of their hotel room (they are staying at the Sheraton). We got some pictures of the girls together. We are back at the hotel and I'm going to take a quick shower and crash. The trip has been tiring and even though Ananya only weighs 15 pounds or (slightly less), she is very tiring 24 hours a day. I love her to death but the girl has a temper. One minute she is fine the next she is screaming her head off because she wants to eat now even if the formula is too hot. She doesn't drink out of a bottle or sippy cup so I have to use a spoon or give her drinks straight from the cup. I believe I included a picture of her milk beard. HEHEHEHE!!! Fun adventures of today: I washed my clothes in the sink (they are taking forever to dry) and we saw about 30 monkeys on the side of the road this evening (our driver said it was some Monkey holiday, something about a Hindu god). Well I must go so Anthony can get back on the internet. I will post more tommorrow. Love everyone and will talk to you all soon. P.S. India is really beautiful. Sometimes even the really dirty and dingy things are just amazing.

The Journey

2007-02-17T21:18:00.000-08:00

Anyone that has not taken this journey can know the joys of our babies. The love is the same as with any other child you may have, but the appreciation is so different when you stare at the pictures for so long and get “developmental updates”. No one in the whole time we waited saw, held or visited with Ananya. Pam and Joel got a short look, but Ananya is very shy of new people and no one wanted to freak her out. It was so hard to not have any personal accounts of how her personality is or anything. The moment she was in my arms (scared, mad and screaming), everything else was gone. It didn’t hurt anymore. I had prepared myself for the negative reaction. I didn’t want to have the picture of a perfect “Gotcha Day” and be crushed. I’m very glad that God put in my heart that it wouldn’t be all happy and smiling. Within a few hours, I had her smiling. Within a day, she won’t leave my arms (even for me to turn around and get a diaper). To finally have her little head snuggled on my shoulder makes all the waiting worth it. I know why so many families do this repeatedly.
Adoption is definitely one of the greatest experiences of my life. I have met so many great people (Tami, Jynger, Gayle, and Gray) and so many great friends (Melissa and Brian, Kristi and Jason, Grace and Shane, Anila and Lenin, Adrienne and Agni, and so many others that I can’t even name). Once we got to the orphanage, I got to meet one the most amazing people I have ever met in my life, Anju. She oversees the orphanage and takes such wonderful care of these children. I can not imagine doing the job that she does. I would want to bring every child home with me. All of the people at Dillon and in the ISRC orphanages do amazing things. They are truly gifts from God. I can never tell any of these people thank you enough. They made my daughter strong and brought her to me. After seeing all of the children at the orphanage I realize the Ayahs that Anju has are not just good, they are THE BEST. They do so much for so many children.
Ananya is amazing. For such a little girl to have so many things change suddenly, she has handled this with grace. She smiles and plays and snuggles. Even the few times she has cried, you can’t really blame her. In the blink of an eye, her entire life was turned upside down. Within hours of being back at the hotel, I had her on the floor. When I turned for just a second to grab something, she was sitting. I couldn’t believe it. No one ever told me that she could sit on her knees. Yesterday, she was grabbing at the computer. She took a ball from Anthony’s hand. When I held her up on her feet, she started to bear some weight. She is already thriving and the journey has just begun. Without any limits, she will excel so far.
Like Patrick has said since we got here “We are on a mission from God”. Truer words have never been spoken. This trip feels like it is going to make a HUGE difference in all of our lives. Not just by bringing Ananya home as our daughter, but how we live our lives, how we help other, and how we see the world outside of our view.
I can not put into words how amazing the journey of adoption is. If you are reading this, open your heart. Stop for just a minute and look into your heart. See is God is calling you to make a huge difference with even just a little time or effort.

Just as a last note after all that, check out the link to Celebrations that I have posted. Adrienne and Agni are such wonderful people. They are waiting to travel to India to get their son (they have a 3 year old daughter). Adrienne is planning some cruises for next spring to benefit Orphancare, Dillon’s fund for the orphanages the countries they serve. The cruises sound wonderful and money could not be spent in a better way than to help all of the children in the orphanages.

More Pictures :o)

2007-02-17T21:12:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more pictures from yesterday.

Saturday was a Busy Day

2007-02-17T21:03:00.000-08:00

Saturday we had a very nice day. We met our friends from Dillon at the hotel. It was nice to finally put a face with the voices. They got their children later in the afternoon. We got to spend alittle time with them beforehand. We went sightseeing a little as well. We saw Victoria Memorial, dancing monkeys and the Planetarium. Victoria Memorial is beautiful. Cameras are not allowed inside. The carvings and design is just amazing. They have a lot of paintings and things on display as well. There are sections of the exhibit that show the history of Kolkata. Patrick and Anthony looked through a lot of the pictures. We walked around the grounds for more than 30 minutes. The gardens are gorgeous. There were a lot of couples sitting under trees talking. Before we went in there was a guy with dancing monkeys. I’ve post a picture but it was much more fun in person. The man started singing and the monkeys danced. One of them did a flip. Anthony was very amused. **BTW-This is why I told Anthony not to pet the monkeys in India**. We tried to go to St. Pauls but it was closed at that time. We went to the Planetarium. We made it just as the English show was starting. Anthony and Patrick loved it. Ananya didn’t like the dark at all. She was just starting to get sleepy. She took a short nap. We then went back to the hotel. We had lunch. We had most of the waiters at our table. One in particular, a nice man named Philip, paid much attention to both of the kids. He and Patrick talked as well. He even gave Patrick his address to keep in touch. After lunch, we caved and let Anthony go swimming. I think the water was alittle cold because he didn’t stay in for more than a few minutes. Ananya seemed to like just being outside playing. She paid lots of attention to what her brother was doing as well as the other boys in the pool. I had Ananya’s shoes off and I dunked her feet in the pool. She acted a little scared, but started smiling as soon as I held her close. Once upstairs, I couldn’t stand the suspense anymore and went down the hall to see if Grace was back yet. Jadyn is just a beauty. She was sleeping at the time. We had to go back to New Market to pick up an outfit that Patrick had ordered. By the time we got there it was getting dark. It was even more crowded than it was Friday. When we got close to the shop, people kept pointing us to the right shop. I guess an American family with an Indian baby attracts a lot of attention. We went to a few other shops while there and I got Ananya a few outfits. (Patrick finally realized just how far you could haggle them down and so we got good prices this time.) Anthony ended up with another Indian shirt. I still didn’t get anything, but we can look in Delhi as well. There as one little girl that sort of got to me. She was about Anthony’s age and just started following me. I didn’t have any candy on me at the time. She just chatted with me and told me how pretty Ananya was. She asked her name and told me her name was Puja. I just wanted to make the world perfect just for her. She was the most beautiful little girl. Before we left Patrick had Anthony give her a little money (we were already in the car so we wouldn’t get mobbed). All in all it was a good day. I think it may have been alittle much for Ananya at the end but all is well now as everyone is resting.

Day 2 :o) It keeps getting better!

2007-02-16T11:35:00.000-08:00

I never thought it could be true but today was better than yesterday. Once Ananya finally got to sleep, I laid down with her. I didn't sleep soundly though because I woke everytime she moved. Breakfast wasn't one of my greatest moments. I wasn't so concerned with eating because I couldn't get much down her. She had a little porridge. A little juice. I've kept at the water today. I've given her alot through a medicine syringe. As you can see we finally had success with lunch. She threw a fit anytime I didn't get the food in fast enough. Dinner wasn't the greatest though. I ended up slowly pouring it into her mouth from the bottle with the nipple off of it. She did however take some small pieces of solid food from our dinner plates. We went shopping today. I got her to go to sleep for a while at the shops. She is such a strong girl, and sooo strong willed. Tonight she went to sleep rather easily. We are all still doing well. I admit though I would like to be home soon. I want normal grocery stores so I have lots of options as to what to feed her. I definitely don't want to have to worry about Anthony getting sick. I do realize though that we need to experience this so that we can tell her about it. Its been a great trip. Tomorrow we may get the chance to see 2 other families from our agency. They both pick up their children tomorrow. Hopefully we can all have alittle time together. Well I'm going to go for now. I'll continue to keep everyone updated.

SURPRISE!!!!

2007-02-15T08:37:00.000-08:00

Ok. So everyone that knows me knows that I'm not patient at all. How were we supposed to sit in a hotel in the same city as our daughter and not get to go get her???? When I called Ms. Roy this morning, she gave me the option to come today and pick Ananya up. What could I say but of course. I couldn't help it. So we hurried up and packed up our stuff and met our daughter at about 320 pm Kolkata time. Boy was I glad that I didn't listen to any of my friends and prepared for the worst. She took one look at me when they handed her to me and started screaming. The ayah actually had to take her back 3 different times before she quit screaming. Even when she's scared and mad she is beautiful. Anthony was able to calm her down a couple of times. She really likes her brother. Patrick had her for a little bit and she didn't cry until she came to me. Of course my heart broke but it was repaired within a few minutes. She stayed quiet in my arms until we went to the other orphange building. Then another ayah took her to calm her down. We were able to see all of the babies. I held a couple of them. This little girl stole our heart all over again. I am typing with her curled up in my lap fighting sleep. She refuses to eat anything and screams everytime we get anything near her mouth. In the morning I may have to be mean mommy and force water with a syringe if she won't take it.

Now lets rewind. We left Charlotte on time at 1155 Tuesday morning. Anthony got antsy in the airport because we breezed through security and had to wait for our flight. We had a 50 minute flight to Washington. Anthony had a great time. I think someone should pick me up in Washington so that I don't have to fly back. We had a 5 hour layover at Dulles. Got told the wrong gate but we were at a quiet place and I got a little rest. We had a 6 hour flight to Frankfort. Then a 4 hour layover. Not too fun. European airports don't have as many restraunts as American ones. We then took a shuttle to our flight and then flew 8 hours to Kolkata. The airport was kind of scary but we made it through. All of our luggage made it here. We had to get a taxi as well as the hotel car just because we had so many bags. Patrick rode in the taxi to the hotel. That was apparently an experience. Also at the airport, there were children begging (now this was 2 am) Patrick had a really hard time not forking over cash. We made it to the hotel in one piece. We went to sleep at about 3am. I was up at 1015 and called Ms. Roy at about 11. She asked if we wanted to come today or tomorrow and or course I couldn't wait. We quickly gathered all our things and had lunch at the hotel. We now have 4 empty suitcases and a new baby.

Anyways. This child will not quite wiggling because she is sooooo sleepy. I posted a couple of pics. Most of the good ones are one the camera that I can't download until we are home. I will post more as I have the chance. I must put my precious rotten butt to bed now.

Tommorrow We Leave

2007-02-12T04:14:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone! I just wanted to post one more time before I start one of the busiest days of my life. Of course, I have 10 million things to do today. We leave for the airport between 0730 and 0800 in the morning. I have to make sure to get all of our things into the suitcases. I have last minute cleaning to do and such. I want to thank everyone who has supported us on this journey. It has been a long road, but all the pain of the last 6 months is GONE. We now only anticipate seeing India and FINALLY seeing our daughter. Words can not describe the feeling. In 3 and 1/2 days, very long days, we will have Ananya forever. I will post pictures and descriptions of our experience as I can. I pray I get everything done today. I will let everyone know how this all goes. I'll try to post on Thursday and give everyone an idea of our first glimpse of India. Talk to everyone later.
Love you all.

We Really Are Leaving :o)

2007-02-08T10:52:00.000-08:00

We really did it!!! We bought our tickets!!!!

In 7 days we become a family of 4. YEAH!!! :o) We leave Charlotte on February 13. We will be back February 23 at 11:00pm. A day later our daughter will turn 2. I can't believe this is finally happening. We have waited so long to meet our precious little girl. I have alot of packing to do and of course last minute details to attend to. I will keep in contact with everyone and post pictures of my angels together at last. Everyone pray for us to have a wonderful trip and that all of our paperwork is completed so we can return home on time. This has been a long journey for our family with lots of heartache. We have grown in our faith. I can't wait to move to the next part of the journey and be all together at last. We thank GOD for bringing us this far and pray HE will make this a wonderful trip for our whole family.

BTW. (Dad we got a great deal on tickets even if they were last minute.)

New Pictures :-)

2007-01-31T16:23:00.000-08:00

Ananya Sophia Rina

Still Not Leaving :o(

2007-01-30T17:00:00.000-08:00

To say that our process has gone slow is an understatement. A BIG HUGE UNDERSTATEMENT!!!!!!

To recap, we got NOC July 17th. Expected wait time after that is 30-45 days each for guardianship and passport. Most people get ICPC (in the US while waiting on passport) in 3 weeks.
We waited 149 days for guardianship and have waited 41 for passport so far and are expecting another 6-7 days before it is issued. It has been 197 days since NOC was issued. UNBELIEVABLE !!!!!!
I just found out that North Carolina lost our ICPC paperwork. I had to get Oklahoma to resend our papers to North Carolina. ARGGGGG!!!!!!

We had hoped to travel January 23rd. Of course, we are still here waiting. We then hoped to leave February 5th. We then got an email saying that Ananya's passport would not be issued until February 5th. I am about to go crazy with all the waiting again. I hope we can leave February 12th. But we are waiting for 2 large things that we can't leave if we don't get it.

We learned today that the family that just came home got to actually see Ananya. :o) They said she was a little scared of them at first but warmed after a few minutes.

Please pray that God makes the transition as easy as possible for her. She may have a rough transition for having the Ayahs care for her for so long. She needs everyones prays right now.
We hope to hear good news soon. I will keep everyone posted if we receive any news.

Happy Day!!!!! :o)

2007-01-18T17:47:00.000-08:00

Today was a really good day. Our friends in Alaska finally got approval. They have been waiting as long as we have and now they finally are moving forward. YEAH!!!!!!!!
The first family has picked up their baby in India. The posted some wonderful pictures. Its so exciting to see that the process really is moving now.

If only we could get Ananya's passport issued and our ICPC completed. Please pray for us.

Not Yet:o(

2007-01-17T04:29:00.000-08:00

We got news yesterday that Ananya's passport won't be issued this week. Probably not next week either. So.... Now we wait proabably another two weeks before we can leave. As you can imagine, I'm not happy. I want to leave now. We have to go back and redo our time off. Now I will probably have both of my childrens birthdays off work this year. We continue to make preliminary plans and preparations. Please pray that everything gets moving and we can leave soon.

The first couple from our agency is in Kolkutta. They are HOURS away from meeting their son. Keep them in your prays, they are alittle tired from the long trip.

I'll keep you updated.

Time is Flying!!!

2007-01-16T01:52:00.000-08:00

We haven't heard anything new yet, but we are still preparing to leave next Tuesday. Thats now only a week away. I can barely stand to be away from my baby any longer. There are lots of calls to make and lots of paperwork to gather. Please pray with us that the ICPC gets issued this week as well as her passport. Without these 2 things we can not leave. Hoping to hear good word soon.

The Time is Near.

2007-01-11T14:19:00.000-08:00

The time to travel is fast approaching. I really mean it. I've been on the phone with a dear friend and travel agent this morning. She is looking for tickets for us to leave January 23rd. That's 12 days away WOW!! We get to meet our daughter in 2 weeks. It was a shock for me even though I've known for several weeks we would be traveling that week. We have lots to do to prepare for our trip.

January 23rd is a special day for our family. That is the day 1 year ago that we became a family of 4. The day we saw our daughters face for the first time. The day part of my heart went to India.

We are all so excited. We will keep everyone updated on our travel plans as they are finalized. We will keep the blog updated while we are in India so everyone can see pictures of the Princess and her brother. I will also post her shoe size so she has shoes at home when she gets here. I will let everyone know how long her hair is.

Stay tuned for further details.

Things Adoption Has Taught Me

2006-12-29T22:17:00.000-08:00

Your joy can be thousands of miles away. A HUGE chunk of my heart is in India and I can feel it. Sometimes I know that I smile alot less. The wait has been so hard. Especially the last few months.
There are so many small joys in the world. Like staring at a picture for hours on end. By the excitement of opening an email titled update. The joy of knowing the name of the woman who gave you the greatest gift ever, your child. (BTW, Ananya's has a new name, Ananya Sophia Rina)
Lots of stuff will fit into 1 fed ex envelope. No, really. You wouldn't believe the things you can stuff in those suckers.
Traveling to another country makes me very anxious. I am anticipating the trip so much. I just am afraid we are going to get lost getting her visa or in immigration. Lots of small details.
You can meet new and wonderful friends everywhere. I have become so close to so many other people through the journey. We now are going to Alaska eventually because we have good friends there.
CHILDREN ARE A GIFT FROM GOD. Need I say more??
Fedex envelopes really do hold alot.

Hoping we travel soon. I think it may be as few as 3 weeks now.

LEGALS!!!!!

2006-12-26T21:41:00.000-08:00

This is a beautiful picture taken in India by friends of ours.

The good news is that we are getting closer to our trip. YEAH!

On December 19th, we received news that Ananya's legals were signed.

Her passport was applied for on December 21st. Double YEAH!

Normal wait time is 4 to 6 weeks. We will find out soon if it will be any sooner.

We have so much to do before our long journey. We will be leaving before long. Thank all those who have prayed and cried with us.

Continue to pray for all the families waiting to travel. My friend Kristi (Daya's mom) will have her case heard the first week of January. Hopefully they will be in India soon.

Finally some happy news.

December 12, 2006

2006-12-12T07:29:00.000-08:00

TODAY IS A DAY TO REMEMBER!!!!!

We received word that the judge has signed our case. I'm still holding my breath until Friday when the lawyers can pick up the completed paperwork. There have been so many ups and downs on our journey. Its wonderful to be moving forward.

Please continue to pray that the passport process goes quickly. Please pray for the families that are waiting. It will be a great joy to have all these children home.

YEAH!!

The Wait Continues...longer.

2006-12-07T01:25:00.000-08:00

We received a new court date. December 11th. I don't have much faith that this judge will do anything. Our appeal to the high court got delayed because of a strike. We are waiting for the date that it was rescheduled. We can only pray that someone does something to bring our baby home to us very soon.

Please pray for all the families that have court dates in the next week.
Jadyn, Ananya, Daya and Jay need to come home.

Sending love and holiday cheer to our precious daughter.

She's Getting Bigger!!!!

2006-12-01T12:52:00.001-08:00

Here is another new picture and isn't she the sweetest thing you have ever seen. She is getting big. So, so big. I'm in LOVE.
On to the court process:

Our case was approved on November 22nd. However, the judge didn't sign the papers and hasn't signed any since. The lawyer is appealing the Supreme Court again on Tuesday. The Director of CARA is going to be at the appeal. This is a huge deal. CARA is the national adoption organization (they set the rules). We can only wait and pray and hope. There are many families caught up in the wait. 14 of us now. Please keep all of them in your prayers. We all need this to end very soon.

Some News...

2006-11-22T08:42:00.000-08:00

Here is a new picture of our precious. This isn't the photo we were told about last week. There is another to come. She is getting so big. See Grandma she has some nice toys to play with.

Our court case was heard today. OUR CASE WAS APPROVED. The judge however did not sign the papers because our middle name was not on all the paperwork. He is also holding out for clear pictures of our passport. They are hoping that the copies will reach India by Monday and he can sign away. We want to be Ananya's legal guardians. The process is moving even if it is SLOWLY.

All that I can ask for is prayers. My family needs strength right now. Ananya is in God's hands and he is taking care of her. We need the strength to wait a little longer before we hold her.

Please also pray for dear friends of ours. Their case was scheduled to be heard on Tuesday and probably isn't going to be hear until next week. My heart goes out to this mother. This is a nerve racking time for many families.

As we sit down to give thanks tomorrow, remember all of the families that are waiting. Remember our children and pray that each one receives an extra hug from their Ayahs. There are lots of Mommy's and Daddy's greiving the loss of each day we are all apart.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

A Wonderful Day with Gods Blessings!

2006-11-15T13:21:00.001-08:00

Today is a great day. We received word that we have a court date.

November 22, 2006

The judge in Kolkutta India will hear our case and hopefully assign us Guardianship of our precious daughter. It is a great weight off our shoulders to have a day to look forward to. Other good news has come today. The orphanage has taken new pictures of all the children and they will be sent to us. Yeah! A new glimpse of her face will be glorious.

We received a height and weight update. She is 7 kg (15.4 lbs) and 74 cm. That is another 1/2 lb gain in 2 months. YEAH!

Please pray with us that the court processes all of the papers as promised. Keep all of the children in your prayers.

Terrible Wait

2006-10-09T20:51:00.000-07:00

Many said that the wait for an adoption is difficult. I did not doubt them, not in the least. Their words however did not prepare me for all this. There are moments that I think this is never going to end and I'm going to go crazy. Most of the time anymore, I feel numb. Like I don't have any grief left. God has helped me with the endless explanations of what is going on. He has given me patience to explain over and over the process we are waiting on. I have moments where I want to cry, alot of these moments. I'm so excited and yet heartbroken that the process has stalled.

For those of you who don't know. Two different judges have refused to sign guardianship papers, not just ours but all in general. 11 families are waiting for this step. There are about 4 more who are closely behind waiting on NOC.

This process is proof that God is in control. He has brought us a child that I've never had a doubt that she should be with us forever. He is making us wait, and I can only hope that He is holding her as He is giving me the strength to wait out the prcess.

I can only ask God to please let me hold my baby soon. Keep her safe while she is away.

We love you Ananya.

Day After Day...

2006-09-22T13:30:00.000-07:00

we wait. And wait. And wait. Patrick and I have gone to San Francisco. We had a great time. It was nice to be away for a little while. This was my first plane trip so it was good to have a "trial run" for India.

We are still waiting for the judge to sign our guardianship papers. There are 11 families waiting from our agency now. The judge isn't signing any documents for any adoptions. Our lawyer is appealing the higher court to try and get results. So we wait.

Ananya is about to turn 19 months old in a few days. Her most recent height and weight updates came this week. Our girl is 14.7lbs and 73 cm. This makes her really tall and skinny. Her weight puts her into 6-9 months clothes. Her height puts her into 12 month clothes.

The wait is very hard for our families and all the familes that are waiting. I can only pray that the courts are able to process our guardianships before the end of the month. The Indian holidays are approaching and the celebrations last 9 days. But for now all we can do is wait and wait and wait.

Her Name

2006-08-31T00:24:00.000-07:00

Ananya means
matchless, incomparable, without a second, no other, unique

Sophia means
wisdom

This is our wonderful daughter's name. To us it is special. It is her given Indian name. Her name is strong as I hope that she is.

Come home soon baby doll. Mommy is missing you badly.

The First Baby Shower

2006-08-21T19:45:00.000-07:00

The first baby shower is over now. We had about 35 people. It was nice. Everyone brought orphanage donations. We have 14 bottles of shampoo, 11 bottles of lotion, 20 bottles, and 6 crib sheets (there were other odds and ends as you can see). I've had some clothes donated to take with me as well. We have 2 suitcases filled with things. All that shampoo and lotion is heavier than I thought. Anyone who was at the shower, I would like to thank you for your gifts. It was wonderful of you to spend the day with us. The waiting still drags on but it will be over soon I know. Soon I will forget all this waiting as I'm busy with my 2 angels.

Waiting

2006-08-15T20:36:00.000-07:00

I just don't know that the wait is ever going to end. It's hard to believe that in maybe 2 months we will be the parents of 2 kids. That is so wonderfully amazing that I can not even describe it. I'm so anxious to get over there. It has been a month since we received our NOC and it really feels like YEARS. Patrick is taking the wait so much better than me right now. I guess it helps that he has been insanely busy at work. I have a list of things that need to be done and I can't figure out where to start. I've started packing. I need to go get the suitcases that my wonderful friend, Elizabeth, is letting us borrow. I have washed all of the baby clothes. It was 2 loads all together so I really don't think this munchkin needs any more at this time. Our first baby shower is on August 20th at Grandma's house. There will be at least one more to follow. I hope that we get alot of donations for the orphanage (as Grandma put it so wonderfully, Ananya has everything she needs and would like to leave some things for her friends.)

In about a month we travel to San Francisco for 4 days. It will be the 2nd time in 8 years Patrick and I have gotten away from home alone.

We were informed by Dillon that a new judge has replaced the other new judge who wasn't doing his job. Hopefully by early next week the families ahead of us will have their guardianship papers signed. I hope this for them so our case will move up.

This wait is getting harder by the day. I look almost every day at new pictures posted on blogs and on the Dillon site of the children who are home. My mind has temporarily decided that this is make believe and there isn't a baby at the end of the process. I can't even begin to imagine the day is coming when I finally after all this time can hold my DAUGHTER.

I love that word. My daughter. Our daughter. Anthony's sister. It amazes me.

I've rambled enough now. Those that know me personally will know that even now I could dwell on the subject for days on end.

The Wait Continues

2006-08-02T19:40:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post a few pictiures of our preparations for the big journey. The last is of part of the blanket I am making for her. The days are breezing by and yet at the same time they seem to drag on. It has been alittle over 3 weeks since we recieved our NOC. We are waiting for guardianship to be granted. The last several cases have seemed to have taken 4 weeks. I have been marked off of the schedule at one of my jobs after our trip to San Fransisco. I hope we get to travel that soon. Ananya is 17 months old. I can't wait to meet our baby. I have already started to pack as a way to pass time. The end is near and we'll all be together.

NOC!!!

2006-07-18T23:58:00.000-07:00

We have wonderful news. We received our No Objection Certificate for Ananya on Monday July 17th. This means that travel is a whole lot closer. We could travel in the next 45-90 days. This means Ananya will be home before Halloween. Her first pictures will be adorable. We are excited and stunned. I wasn't sure that we would have her home before Thanksgiving. We are now waiting for her Guardianship papers from the courts in Koulkuta. This exciting journey is about to end and another is about to begin. Our family is excited. Anthony can't wait to be a big brother. Please pray that we are able to take him with us. He wants to go to India and see where his sister was born. He wants to tell her about it.

Our family is about to grow in physical size (our heart has belonged to Ananya for months).

YEAH!!!!!!!!!

The Newest Pictures

2006-07-02T15:53:00.000-07:00

These are the newest pictures of our precious. They arrived just today and we couldn't wait to share them. She is growing every day and is becoming an absolute string bean. Hopefully, we will get word soon that we have NOC and the process can continue. She is the most precious thing I have ever seen and I could just hug the computer right now. Hoping Ananya will be home soon.

Ananya Sophia

2006-06-27T15:26:00.000-07:00

This is 12 months.
This is 9 months.

I think this is around 5 months.

Introductions

2006-06-27T14:13:00.000-07:00

I have decided to start this blog to journal our family's adoption journey. We started the process about a year and a half ago but feeling no need to hurry. Our preliminary application with Dillon International was completed March 14, 2005. Our formal application was not completed until September 27, 2005. We started our Home Study October 5 and completed it January 11, 2006. Around this time the process sped up significantly. We enquired about a waiting child and recieved Ananya's information on January 23rd. We completed our dossier on May 9th and returned Ananya's acceptance paperwork on May 18th. As of June 25th, we have our passports (except Anthony's) and we have 171-H from the US government. Our paperwork was sent to India around June 1st. We are waiting for NOC at this time from the Indian government. We hope to have our baby home before Christmas.

Ananya was born February 25, 2005 in Kolkutta, India. At birth she weighed 2KG, about 4.4lbs. Around her first birthday she weighed 6.5KG, 14.3lbs. Everyday our baby is growing and we can't wait to meet her.