God's blessing

Work has been rough lately. I have been stressed beyond belief. There have not been many accomplishments and lots of feelings of defeat. I am doing my job to the best of my ability, but there are some things that are beyond my control. I think this is part of my defeated feeling. I am so looking forward to vacation.

Yesterday I was hurrying down the hall and saw a patient with the blanket up over her face. The over-the-bed light was on, so I stopped in and asked her if she wanted me to turn the light off. She was so sweet, laughed and said no, she was talking on the phone with her son and she was cold, so she covered her head. After checking her thermostat, I offered to get her another blanket. She was thrilled and I went and got her two blankets, came back and covered her up. There was a storm and she may have been somewhat fearful of it. I reassured her that we have safety precautions and went over them with her, telling her that she would be protected in case of a tornado. She was so thankful and said that we are so good to her and that God sent me to take care of her. She was so thankful to the Lord, even though she was in the hospital and had recently lost a family member. Her spirit was contagious and just want I needed. God sent her to me at that very moment because He knew I needed her.

I love when God shows up when He is least expected. This sweet lady was just what I needed during a stressful day.

Thank you Lord for bringing this precious lady into my life. The people are why I do what I do.

Love to all,
Rita

Update on Children for Alex's Baby House

This is Sveta. She is has a family and I am not sure, but think they should travel soon
Lena has a family, but she is not yet available. They have to wait before they can submit.

This is Vika. Her Mama and Daddy just met her in person this week and are in the paperwork chase to apply for their court date. Vika was at Alex's baby house, but was transferred last year.

Sweet, sweet Vera! Her Mama and Daddy have their SDA appointment on June 2nd. They leave for her country in just four days! AND...they live close enough that we can visit!

This is Danil. His parents have an appointment on June 6th, I believe.

He is no longer at the baby house, but has been transferred



This is Virginia. Her parents have committed and are in the beginning of paperwork pregancy....and....they are also adopting precious Brigette, pictured below.

So cute!

This is Willow. She has been adopted, but we do not know anything about her family yet.

These children still need families.

Vincent

Ryland - look at that smile!

Nadia - precious!

Miley - would love to have a clearer photo.

Maxwell - look how handsome!

Karina needs a family now! She will not survive much longer without it.

Howell needs a family too.

Love to all,

R & T & A

Easter Photos and Alex update

I love this photo that my best friend took at our church's Easter Eggstravaganza!

Buzzed head

Last Saturday, we met two of my best friends in Anderson for lunch at Olive Garden. On the way home to drop my BFF off at her house, Alex got gum all over his clothes and the car seat. I told him NOT TO TAKE THE GUM OUT OF HIS MOUTH AGAIN! Not even half way home, I heard, "Mama I got it in my hair." Not only did he put gum in his hair, it was in the middle of his bangs and twisted in. I have him the riot act all the way home and tried to comb it out, but it hurt too bad and his hair was breaking. So...his daddy buzzed his hair. Alex cried and I cried. I think little boys with buzz cuts are so cute! But, I wanted his hair to stay longer because his hair was buzzed when he was at the baby house and I just loved it when it grew out. But, after all of that, I think he is very handsome and it will be terrific for the beach.

Alex with Granma and Kass on the train at the Eggstravaganza

Kass is the godson of my BFF's sister and he is also 4 years old. They don't get to spend much time together, but they play so well together and have just loved each other from the beginning.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Last year, Alex would not go on the slide, but this year, he had no fear! He did all of the activities with the exception of face painting. He would not do that for anything.

I have an egg!

Last year, the three year-olds were not allowed assistance with the hunt. My baby did not know what to do. He stood there looking so lost and he picked up an egg and handed it to another little boy. This year, we practiced! Parents were allowed to help this year, but after practicing and being reassured that he knew the drill, I didn't try to help Alex. He did find one egg - only one egg - and he dropped it out of his bucket and Kass picked it up and gave it back to him. At some point, he lost the egg and sweet Kass shared with him. I think he was in awe of all the children running and grabbing eggs. He still had fun though.

Alex moved up to K4 class on Monday. He loves his new class and it seems that he is busy all day. They have lots of animals in his new class and he loves Ms. Judy and Ms. Brittany. He gets to play on the big boy playground and has had three good days so far. :-)

This week, he has also started eating more. Hopefully since his tonsillectomy, his appetite will improve. He still doesn't weigh 35 pounds, but he is growing taller by the minute! We got him a new swimsuit this week and it is a 3T and too big. I am afraid it will fall down when it gets wet, so I am going to exchange it for a 2T if they have one like it. It has hammerhead sharks on it and they are his favorite, so it they have the same one, I will exchange it. If not, I will get him another one and save the 3T for next year.

Yesterday I took Alex by work to visit with my two Ukrainian friends who are nurses. They are both named Irina. They wanted to meet him and speak with him in Russian. I am not sure all they said to him, but it made him sad. He did nod once and shake his head once, but he was withdrawn and when I asked him, he said that it made him sad. He said that he does miss Ukraine sometimes - especially his favorite nannie, Inna. But, he is glad that his Mama and Daddy came to Ukraine to get him and he doesn't want to go back to live, but he will go back sometime with his Mama and Daddy. He even said it is OK that he was sad because he has his Mama and Daddy and he is happy. My sweet boy!

We go to the beach soon and I am counting down the days! I really need a vacation from work and can't wait for Alex to get to play in the ocean and the "big pool" with the zero entry. Lounge chair and sunshine, here I come.

I will update on the children for adoption at Alex's baby house soon. There has been a lot of activity since my last update! The best news out of the baby house is that Vera's family has their SDA appointment on June 2nd.

Love to all,

R & T & A

Update

Alex & Mumbo ready to go!

6:00 am

Keeping busy - waiting to be called back.


Waiting for Dr. Rust a.k.a. Fred Flintstone


The bracelet that he hated



On the way home - showing off his Curious George bandaid

After eating a happy meal - nuggets & fries - yes, the doctor said he could!

Playing Lincoln Logs with Daddy

The night before - showing me his M&M face

Easter morning - Chloe had to check out the goodies also.

Little ham

I can't believe it has been almost two months since I updated the blog. Most of you know that Alex had surgery last Monday to remove his tonsils, adenoids and to place tubes in his ears. The surgeon said the fluid in his ears was thicker than Elmer's glue. Poor fellow. No wonder he had a 40% hearing loss! He can definitely hear better now.

Alex was perfect for the surgery! As we were waiting for the surgeon, he began to sing Jesus Loves Me - just out of the blue. So sweet. Then, as he walked to the operating room, with his penguin, Mumbo tucked under his arm, he held Dr. Rust's and the nurse's hand and skipped and swung between them. I was strong for him, but when he left, Tim had to reassure me. I was on the verge of tears.

They would only let one parent back in recovery at a time. I went first and he was sitting up on the bed drinking water and smiling. I stayed for a while and then Daddy took his turn. A little later, I got a text that "your son wants you." Such sweet words. I went back for almost the remainder of the time and then traded off with Daddy. Then, Daddy came and got me to go with Alex while he pulled the car around. Alex was sitting in a wagon, smiling from ear to ear with a bag of gummy bears and Mumbo.

He never even took a nap that afternoon and stayed awake until 9:30pm! Tuesday was a wonderful day as well. Wednesday, I went back to work and it was Daddy's turn to stay at home. Wed. night was a rough one and no one rested well, but Grandma took the wheel on Thursday and he did fine. Friday, he got to stay with Granny & Grandpa and he was perfect! He has awaken once each night, crying with a sore throat, but other than that, we got back on routine yesterday, going to church and he went back to school today.

We had a great Mother's Day. I can't believe it is my second Mother's Day! I have been so blessed with the son the Lord gave me. I was the little girl who always wanted to be a Mama and had over 70 dolls! Even though I thought it would never happen, it happened all in God's perfect timing.

Alex moves up to K4 on May 23rd. I am excited that he is moving up, but we are sad that he will move away from the teachers he has had since he started at The Learning Vine. Ms. Ashley and Mrs. Amanda have been wonderful and we will really miss seeing them each day. Most of the children are moving up, so it should be a smooth transition.

My boy loves, loves, loves to dance! The other day, he said, "my throat doesn't hurt any more - now I can dance!" He says that he dances at school and at church. We had great dance tonight along with Dancing with the Stars. He got out of the tub, stepped into the den and said, "I love this dance. I love this song." So we danced! He is so much fun!

Love to all!

R & T & A