... In the Waiting

Happy Gotcha Day - Two Years ago !

2011-12-28T14:59:00.000-06:00

Two years ago we were handed a beautiful, sweet little baby girl.

And the adventure began.

Maggie and I watched her Gotcha Day video today and she was a little unsure of it all. She told me baby Maggie was sick and sad.

Our little baby girl is getting so big now and the changes in her are ENORMOUS ! When we first met Maggie, she could not use her hands, walk, talk, communicate, look us in the eye, play with toys. Nothing.

We love you so much.
You are a brave and captivating little girl with so much life and love to give.
Happy Gotcha Day Maggie !

December Catch Up.

2011-12-28T08:20:00.000-06:00

We do daily Bible readings after dinner every night. Right now we are using M'Cheyne's Calender For Daily Readings as a guide. Generally, we clean up the dinner table and head to the living room. Maggie's job is to pass out the Bibles ( she takes her job very seriously - she loves doing this). Then we all take turns reading verses, except for Maggie of course. She likes to sit by her brothers and pretend to read. This night she read her Bible with a purple bucket on head. Why not ?

Colorful markers + plain paper = hours of quiet fun !

Maggie loved helping me wrap presents this year. She really is starting to understand Christmas and she loved playing with the presents and ornaments.

The boys and Maggie made a box house with a telescope. Such a simple toy that brought lots of smiles and fun.

I think the fact that Maggie is half-dressed added to the fun too !

Kids Having Fun With Grandparents..

2011-12-22T11:26:00.001-06:00

Big Milestone !

2011-12-05T18:14:00.000-06:00

We're celebrating !

Because Maggie is potty trained !!!

For reals.

I started potty training Maggie way back in the summer, but I was not consistent at all. So, I kind of gave up. Then, Maggie started a new school and her teacher is known as the "potty whisperer". Seriously. She is known to magically transform little ones from diapers to potty in just a week. And so she did. It took about a week for her to start going potty. She is even sleeping in her big girl panties - no pull ups - and no accidents at night. We are all so proud of her !
I think Maggie is pretty proud of herself too !

Just Cause

2011-11-21T21:13:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the lack of creativity. It's been crazy busy around here, but I had to share the pictures.

Maggie got up from her nap and was so happy. I let her play around in the kitchen a little without her hearing aid. I love how pretty her hair is and how long it is getting.

Maggie loves to wear her birthday girl pin her teacher gave her last month.

She asks to wear it everyday by saying " party", which sounds exactly like "potty".

Everyone keeps telling her happy birthday when we go out !

She also loves glasses !

She's figured out they won't stay on her eyes ( due to her little ear and small nose bridge) so she holds them on. I need to find her a sun glass strap.

Will thought it was fun to push Maggie around the room while she was on the potty.
I never thought of a potty chair as a push toy !

Maggie talking at dinner.

2011-11-17T19:53:00.001-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv2LVdt8coc&sns=em

Chuck Beams

Happenings.

2011-11-12T13:54:00.000-06:00

I've gotten serious about potty training Maggie. There are little potty chairs scattered throughout the house,but Maggie really prefers the potty that is in front of the television. She takes forever to go to the bathroom, so I thought why fight it. Just stick a potty in front of the tv and let her take her time.

She also eats breakfast and lunch while she's on the potty. Whatever works is my motto !

And it is working. Maggie is so good at holding it until she can get to a bathroom or in our case - our living room throne ! She is wearing pull-ups mostly, but she will soon go to big girl Dora Princess panties. Whoo Hoo !

For Halloween, Will was an FBI agent and Walker was supposed to be Elvis.

(He lacked a tacky polyester white jumper and cape.)

Of course Maggie was Minnie Mouse. We called her Minnie all day long and she just smiled so big. I made her dress and ordered her Minnie ears off Etsy. I found some Minnie Mouse sticker earrings and she thought she was so big to have earrings on like her Momma.

Momma!!

2011-11-02T11:24:00.000-05:00

Three !!!

2011-10-30T13:19:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, Maggie turned three! We celebrated at home with a little party and next week we'll celebrate with a bigger Minnie Mouse party with family. She's already had a camping birthday party and a party at her preschool.

She was giddy about her new UGG boots and her Minnie Mouse necklace and birthday pin.

Fabulous !

Happy Birthday sweet girl.

You are amazing.

We feel so blessed that you are our daughter.

You are such a big girl now.

We love you !!!

The Great Pumpkin Patch.

2011-10-27T21:35:00.000-05:00

Maggie's preschool class went to the pumpkin patch today. She tried to pick the pumpkins up, but they were way to heavy. She would say "pum-in - pum-in" which is totally cool that she can say pumpkin and it sounds pretty close to what it should sound like.

The John Deer Tractor was a big hit with all the kids.

Maggie pretty much stayed on it.

Look how big she looks sitting all by her self with her legs straight out. She was such a big girl and sat with her class while directions were being given.

I swear Maggie is on a "don't smile at the camera whatever you do" kick. She really did have a lot of fun !

Mostly, she just wanted to sit on all the pumpkins.

Precious.

2011-10-26T14:43:00.000-05:00

Happy Fall Ya'll !

2011-10-19T07:47:00.001-05:00

It was the perfect fall day yesterday and somehow I was able to take pictures of all the kids.

There's always silliness when these two are together.

Will was trying to teach Maggie the Heisman pose. Funny !

Have a great weekend ! Chuck and I are going to the LSU game and I'm a bit nervous. At least we'll get some good alone time and lots of plantation tours. Maybe even some jambalaya ?

October camera dump.

2011-10-14T08:35:00.000-05:00

October is a very busy month around here. The boys have an average of six tests a week, Walker is playing soccer and Will is playing football. Maggie has speech therapy once a week and she is loving preschool. Her speech is really improving ( I'll post soon on all that).

We went camping again to Cheaha with family. The kids love to hang out with their cousins and Maggie adores her cousin Olivia. The weather was beautiful and the leaves were just starting to change colors.

Maggie found Walker's build a bear sunglasses. So funny. They fit her perfect.

She wears them everywhere and gets lots of giggles from Walmart shoppers.

Pumpkins !!!

My cute new nephew Owen. I love babies !

We celebrated Maggie, Walker and my Sis-in-law's birthday last week at Cheaha.

What would be a camping trip without a little SEC football watching. Chuck rigged up a satellite so we could watch Auburn play.
Bummer they lost though.
Have a great October !

More Brother Love.

2011-10-05T08:03:00.000-05:00

These Two.

2011-09-27T14:30:00.000-05:00

She's back !!!

2011-09-10T20:34:00.000-05:00

Maggie come home from the hospital yesterday although she had still not eaten or drank anything. Her labs looked great and the doctors felt she would be eating and drinking soon.

So we brought home a very puny and sick little girl.

Tonight, she finally got back to her silly self with lots of smiles, dancing, eating and drinking !!!

She even got to help celebrate Auburn's win today.

She's trying so hard to say "WAR EAGLE".

We could not have survived without the help of Chuck's parents. They jumped in the car and drove three hours when they heard that Maggie was in the hospital and we are so thankful !

Maggie update.

2011-09-09T07:36:00.002-05:00

Maggie is doing better, but still has not eaten or drank anything as of last night. Also, we need her to go to the bathroom. She has only had three wet diapers in three days. She is getting lots of IV fluids and pain meds for her mouth and that is really helping her feel better. Chuck stayed with Maggie last night so I could get some sleep. Thank you all for your prayers !!! We need them. If Maggie will start drinking and going to the bathroom she will be able to come home.

I am ready to see our sweet girl smile again !

Maggie's sick..

2011-09-08T14:33:00.001-05:00

Maggie's been admitted for fluid resuscitation. She's got strep
throat and hand, foot, mouth dz. Her mouth is one giant painful
ulcer. She hasn't eaten or drank much in the past two day. Please
pray for our family during this time.

Saturday Football !

2011-09-04T22:19:00.000-05:00

War Eagle. Hey !

Notice the orange and blue cast.

Bike wreck. Buckle fracture. Auburn cast !

Another attempt at a group picture.

Saturday.

2011-08-27T22:06:00.000-05:00

Yeah !!! It's Friday.

2011-08-26T12:16:00.000-05:00

Are You My Mommy ?

2011-08-19T07:56:00.002-05:00

Meet Parker. He is adorable ! And he has been waiting for a mommy and daddy for two years. Love without Boundaries is trying to get the word out on this little guy.

All we know is that he was born with deformities in both ears ( it appears to me that he has bilateral microtia/atresia) BUT, his hearing is reported to be normal. He is five years old and is described as very cute, smart and happy. Please help me spread the word about Parker. I sure hope his forever family is out there. Parker has been wanting to get adopted and just needs a chance. How my heart breaks.

Happy One Year Hearing Anniversary.

2011-08-18T21:56:00.000-05:00

August 13th marked a very special anniversary for Maggie.

It has been one year since she received her BAHA hearing aid and started hearing clearly.

What a difference one year makes ! Last year, Maggie wasn't speaking much, just a little baby babble every now and then.

But now !!!

There's no way I could list all the words Maggie says ( or attempts to say) because she is trying to say everything. Just tonight she reached for the towel and said "towel", then started saying "wow". She doesn't link many words together yet, except for " I want" and "I have one or two" ( she's counting everything now).

And for you speech people, Maggie still has a glottal stop and has trouble saying some letters:

( D,T,SH,CH). She does some weird thing where she tries to say the word, but won't open her mouth. She also will not say DADDY. So, for now she is calling daddy "BaBa", which is the Chinese name for daddy and she is happy with that !

Maggie's hearing is great now with her hearing on aid and we are so very, very thankful for this little black box and pink headband !

Happenings.

2011-08-17T21:46:00.000-05:00

Maggie's first day of preschool went great ! Her teachers said she played good and didn't cry a bit. They also said her hearing aid stayed on her head (answer to prayer !) and was not a problem. She was so excited about going to school and bringing her little lunch bag. We have been reading a curious George book about George going to school and I think that helped a little. Also, she has a book about school that shows the children using scissors and doing a lot of cutting. So, she kept signing scissors when I took her to school. Funny ! She fell asleep in the car on the way home and took a long nap. It was seriously quiet at home with everyone gone and I don't think I'll ever get used to it. I kept looking back at the backseat of my car. Habit, I guess !

Chuck has been doing a lot of canning ( tomatoes and pickles). He is really into preserving food.

Is that funny that my husband loves to can ? I am not so into it. But, I love that he is ! It works for me !

The boys have had a great week at school and are getting adjusted to their new schedule.

So far Will says things like " I love school mom, and I want to do more math !". Walker says things like," My favorite class is lunch and snack".

Our little girl loves to read the paper in the morning.

Maybe she will let me know what's going on in this crazy world !

Maggie's First Day of Preschool !!!

2011-08-16T09:34:00.004-05:00

First Day Of School !!!!

2011-08-15T08:37:00.001-05:00

Fun with fake glasses.

2011-08-02T20:53:00.000-05:00

Maggie found these fake glasses in Will's room and she instantly fell in love.

She wore them all night !!

You see, she loves to accessorize her outfits.

Which reminded me of one of my favorite quotes from the 1989 movie

Steel Magnolias:

"The only thing that separates us from the animals is our ability to accessorize."

Gotta love Clairee !

Uh-Oh !

2011-07-31T14:39:00.001-05:00

This is what happens when Dawn dish detergent is accidently put in the dishwasher.

Maggie just kept saying "Uh-Oh, Uh-Oh" !

So Big !

2011-07-29T22:08:00.000-05:00

Maggie has never liked having her teeth brushed. Until now....

I put a little stool in her bathroom so she can watch herself in the mirror.

Genius, I know.

Now, Maggie loves to brush her teeth by herself and wash her hands. Little miss Independent she is !

She also loves to look at herself in the mirror and "fix her hair" ( i.e. smooth it away from her face). I wish I would have thought of this little trick a long time ago !

Two Beds.

2011-07-25T21:28:00.001-05:00

Jake, Maggie's cousin, let us borrow his toddler bed so Maggie can transition out of her beloved crib. When we set it up in her room, Maggie did not like it at all. She cried if we tried to sit her on it and would not even get near the bed or touch it.

Maggie does not do well with new things sometimes. So, we have to give her time to get used to the idea of something new. I figure she will be in her crib for several more months so she can take her time and make friends with her new bed.

Now, she is very proud that she has two beds !

And Maggie loves to play on her bed, but not lay down, yet.

She also loves to jump on her bed.

What little girl doesn't ?

For now, she will let Minnie sleep on her big girl bed.

( We do a lot of pretend play)

Maggie also like to put her (fake) lipstick on while she's on her bed. Too cute !

Friday at the park.

2011-07-24T10:27:00.000-05:00

Will Turns Nine !

2011-07-22T09:22:00.000-05:00

Will had a big football party for his ninth birthday. Although it rained all day, he ended up having a great time hanging out with all his friends and family.

Chuck and I collaborated together and made his cake. The vintage football players and the field goals were Chucks when he was little. I am so thankful that his mom saved them ! They were perfect !!!

I can't believe my sweet baby boy is already nine years old. It happens doesn't it ? They grow up.

Happy Birthday Will !!!! I love you.

The Big Catch up post.

2011-07-13T21:52:00.003-05:00

I am quite behind.

So, I decided to just do a big random catch up post.

I am always trying to get a good picture of all the kids together. You know, a picture where everyone is smiling and looking at the camera.

I figure one day I'll get that coveted picture, right ?

Maggie playing on my bed. So cute !

I love her messy hair look.

We took a trip to Tuscaloosa to visit Chuck's parents.

And we saw first hand the devastating damage done by the tornadoes. It was unreal.

Maggie loved to water Nin's plants with a cute, old watering can.

She was also fascinated by Nin's bird bath.

When we got home I put Maggie to work watering the flowers outside. She truly is "mommy's little helper".

Besides watering flowers, she also loves to help put the dishes up and "clean" anything with a washcloth.

Not sure what to say about this picture.

Maggie and Chuck love to be so silly !

Our little garden is really growing.

The kids love to help harvest vegetables.

Maggie especially loves to eat the tomatoes.

I made this cute dress last night.

Here's the back.

And one more attempt at a group photo.

Catching Up.

2011-06-26T15:47:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's Day Chuck !

You are The Best Dad in the world and have three beautiful children that all agree !!

Our yard got rolled.

We made the boys clean it up (they instigated it).

More of Maggie's silly personality that we love seeing !

She's getting pretty good at smiling for the camera

And she loves to imitate how her mommy stands - hands on hips with a little extra Maggie attitude !

Are You My Mommy ?

2011-06-24T13:06:00.000-05:00

Please take a look at these beautiful children that are on the shared list (or will be on the shared list soon). They all have a special need of hearing loss and are so cute. I can't stand it !

Hearing loss can be a scary special need at first, but there is so much technology now that enables children that have all levels of hearing loss to hear. For example, Maggie wears a BAHA hearing aid on a soft band and she has wonderful hearing as a result. There are also cochlear inplants that will allow a deaf child access to the hearing world. Amazing !

This cutie's SN is deafness. Her file is being prepared, if you see her pop up on the shared or an agency list, please comment and let us know! She is in Love Without Boundaries foster care in Qiandongnan.

This is "Sophie" DOB 11-9-08 and it appears she has the same Special Need as Maggie - unilateral microtia/atresia of the left ear.

Sweet Anna is 3 and 1/2 years old and has hearing loss and may be deaf.

This is Riley (DOB 1/1/06). His file is #274 on the June 13th Shared List. His SN is 1.abnormal of acoustic nerve conduction; 2. congenital deformity incorporation and ankylotia of both ears; 3. enorchia

Meet Ruthie. She is with Madison. She was a part of their last camp. You can view her whole file on their yahoo group .Ruthie is a very loving and affectionate child who has been deaf since birth. This sweetie lives in a foster home where she is very loved and is treated as their own. Ruthie is very smart, easy going and independent. She is totally potty trained even at night. She likes to sleep in darkness and also likes to take her daily bath. She is not mute and can clearly say “mama”. We also heard her laugh out loud on occasion during our camp. The only other special need to consider is that she is farsighted and will need eyeglasses.

Ruthie was clearly a favorite of both the orphanage and our staff. She will be a wonderful addition to some lucky family!

Her age ? Well that's a little complicated.

2011-06-21T14:20:00.000-05:00

Maggie's age is a little complicated and here's why. We know for sure her birthday is right, that's not what I am talking about. She has several ages that have to do with being adopted, her hearing age, her emotional age and her cognitive age.

She received her BAHA hearing aid in August 2010. So, that makes her hearing age about ten months old. Meaning she would be expected to talk like a ten month old because she has only been hearing that long. Maggie's communication is beyond ten months for sure.

She has a growing list of words she can say and she can communicate with sign language very well.
The picture above was taken on the day she got her BAHA and she was so happy to hear !!!

We adopted Maggie when she was fourteen months old, but she was more like an infant. So really, it was like she was one day old when we adopted her. Her life experience up to that point consisted of a crib, bottles and a walker. She was not in foster care and it was obvious she was never stimulated or held. So, emotionally and in some ways physically, Maggie started out with delays. But, she is catching up amazingly in both areas.

Then ,there is the fact that Maggie can not talk like most children her age - two and a half. She signs great, but we know no children or adults that sign. Which makes communication with others a little frustrating for her and makes her seem much younger than she really is.

And then there's her cognitive age, which is where it should be - at two and a half years old. Maggie understands everything we say. She knows most of her letters, numbers, shapes and colors. She can spell hat, draw some great circles and dance her heart out. She is a very normal two year old most of the time.

Which makes things interesting because a lot of people don't expect Maggie to be so smart. They think since she has hearing loss and has trouble talking she must be dumb.

Ever heard the expression " deaf and dumb" ?

I think the first time I heard that was when I read about Helen Keller. And she was so far from being dumb !

People also want to compare Maggie to their children that are the same age. But, you can't compare her to a normal two year old that was brought up in the United States with doting parents, normal hearing and normal life experiences. You just can't !!!

Then, sometimes Maggie seems much older than two. She has great common sense, loves to organize and clean up, and she follows directions very well.

She has a trait many call "an old soul". She has a deep understanding of things and seems to be level headed ( except when she is hungry and tired).

Maggie is such a gift. She has an amazing spirit of determination. Sometimes, I just watch her play and am so sad that her China parents will never know how perfect she is and how she just lights up a room with her presence.

Maggie's age may be confusing and her past is still a mystery to me. But, I believe and know that God has a big plan for Maggie's life.
I can't wait to see what it is !

"Today I know that memories are the key not to the past, but to the future. I know that the experiences of our lives, when we let God use them, become the mysterious and perfect preparation for the work He will give us to do."

Corrie ten Boom from The Hiding Place

Personality.

2011-06-09T22:55:00.000-05:00

Her referral only mentioned one word to describe her

personality - active.

That's all we knew about our little girl.

Then, we met her and she was not active and had no personality. She was not silly, she did not dance or hop, she didn't giggle or smile spontaneously. We could tell she was a sweet girl and smart, but that was about it. We couldn't wait until the day that Maggie showed us her real personality.

And boy does she have some !

Silly sometimes.

Quiet and contemplative.

A wild dancer.

A melt your heart sweetie.

And bubbly and happy.

I think she has personality now.

It just took a little bit for us to see it and for her to show us.

It is amazing what the love of a family can do in the life of a child.

The IRS and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever.

2011-06-08T21:55:00.000-05:00

How's that for a title ?

This is what Maggie thought of the IRS audit !

The government has a wonderful adoption tax credit for qualifying adoption expenses. So, we kept every receipt, cancelled check and statement that had to do with Maggie's adoption just in case we were ever audited. And this was the year the IRS decides to audit almost everyone that has adopted recently. Which is funny to me because after you have gone through all the paperwork, Hague, governmental,adoption, jump through hoops yah yah - you just kind of go with it. I think it is safe to say that if you have adopted Internationally, you are pretty organized now with records and paperwork and the IRS is not so intimidating. Let's pray they think my record keeping is as good as I think it is !

And then if the IRS wasn't enough, Will had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Last Monday he went to a farm with Chuck and a friend. Then two days later we noticed two ticks, but three bites. We extracted the nasty things and then prayed, researched tick bites and kept an eye on him. He has had tick bites before, but for some reason this time we were worried. On Friday he started getting a bad headache, and Saturday he started running a fever and had joint/muscle pain. By Sunday, Will was feeling very bad and had nausea/vomiting along with the fever/headache/joint/muscle pain. I am so thankful his doctor was aggressive and we admitted him to the hospital for IV antibiotics because he couldn't keep anything down.( Usually, you can treat RMSF with oral antibiotics - Doxycycline - and it is very effective).

He is doing great now and bouncing off the walls. Thankfully, we caught it early and were able identify it because we saw the ticks. It is very treatable, but unfortunately the symptoms of RMSF are much like a virus or flu and can go untreated which can be fatal. So, we are praising God for His protection once again over our children.

Summer Happenings Here.

2011-06-02T11:16:00.000-05:00

Summer is officially here and we are loving the pool !

My children live in their swimsuits these days and are brown and hungry from all the swimming.

They built a huge "tent" in Walker's room.

I think they used all the blankets in the house !

Maggie is riding this summer at Storybook farms.

I finally got Maggie's hair in some pig tails. So cute !!!

Let's see them one more time.

Some quality game playing. Just keeping it real !

Looking Back

2011-05-31T23:51:00.000-05:00

China 2009

Our first full day with Maggie and not many smiles.

Maggie's first big smile.

Chuck was tickling her and she started laughing.

My funny husband.

Maggie needed a couple of shoes.

I love this picture !

Three babies adopted from China and three different ways to cope.

Favorites Friday.

2011-05-27T12:23:00.001-05:00

Origins Vita Zing Moisturizer

Lord have mercy, I love this moisturizer. It has a tiny bit of tint to it. So, it looks kind of like you have been in the sun and gives you a glow. Plus, it has a sunscreen ( SPF 15) and Mangsteen - whatever that is. You only use a tiny bit and it goes a long way.

** I order mine from Origins online.

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

This is advertised as the "World's Strongest Nail Top Coat". I am not sure about that, but I will say it does two amazing things to my nails that I love ! (You can but it at Ulta)

1. It makes your nails very shiny like acrylic nails.

2. My fingernail polish stays on about a week when I use it as a top coat.

QTICA

Qtica Intense repair treatment for cuticles. This is a seriously intensive moisturizing treatment I put on my cuticles before I go to bed. I love how it makes my hands/nails look !

That's it for today. Have a great weekend !

Who Needs Toys R Us ?

2011-05-26T08:08:00.000-05:00

Potty Training Day 1.

2011-05-24T07:49:00.000-05:00

My goal this summer is to potty train Maggie. She has been waking up with dry diapers,she can sign potty and understands that is where you go. She's been casually sitting on the potty every night before bath to get used to it. How hard can this be ? Apparently, this may be difficult because Maggie prefers to do the Chinese squat when she goes to the bathroom. Insert picture of Chinese bathroom below. This is how it is done in China. I took this picture at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing.

So far Maggie is floor trained ! She goes right when I take her off the potty all over the floor. Ugh !!!

Favorites Friday.

2011-05-20T10:51:00.000-05:00

I enjoy reading about other peoples favorites, so I thought I would start a Friday Favorites Post. Today's Favorites have nothing to do with children, toys, sewing or school. They are things that help you look your best. I am not only a mother to three wonderful children, but I am a wife too and I think it is important to put a little effort in my skin and what I wear. Not in a vain, think about it all the time way. But, in a way that honors your husband. You know, like making a statement that says " I've not given up on myself".
Got me ?

So, here it goes:

1.Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream

I am much, much closer to being forty than thirty and my face was really starting to show it. I did a lot of research on the Olay Regenerist products and just dove in and tried them.

Without sounding like a commercial - They are wonderful and I saw results in a day. Even my hubby asked if I had done something different to my skin. While they are pricey, they are very worth it and my cream has lasted a long time. You don't need much and I just use this cream at night.

2.Olay Regenerist Microdermabrasion and Peel

I love, love this kit ! It really smooths my skin out and helps with all that terrible sun damage I have.

Microdermabrasion, you are my BFF. LYLAS.

( In case you did not grow up in the eighties - that's Best Friend Forever, Love you like a sister)

3.Ulta - Pink-A BOO Nail Polish

I could not find a picture for this one, but trust me it is the perfect natural shade. Very flattering. It's not very pink at all, but very natural without being white. I don't know how to describe it, but it is very flattering.

Love it !

4.Toms Kenya Stripe Wedges

These are the most comfortable shoes and so cute ! I got them for Mother's Day. I love Toms One for One program. For every Toms you purchase they give a new pair of shoes to a child in need. Plus, wedges really make your legs look good, don't they ?

Lived In Chic.

2011-05-19T12:41:00.000-05:00

Last year, our family was invited over to eat dinner with a family that we adore and look up to. They are a wonderful Christian family that has home schooled and is rearing five beautiful and Godly children. They are an amazing family ! Their house is also beautiful and I couldn't wait to see what it looked like inside. The dinner was perfect - fresh vegetables from their garden and a fresh peach cobbler with ice cream. It just doesn't get any better. They asked if we wanted to tour the house and of course I said yes ! They had done many renovations on it and I loved how it was decorated. But, the thing I loved more than anything was that there was laundry piled on the guest bed, the kids beds upstairs were still unmade, the master bath had towels hanging everywhere. It was therapeutic to know that this family was a real, messy, family. Their house was not dirty ( that's different), but it was beautifully lived in. And the best thing was that they never said " excuse the mess". I loved that ! They were confident in the fact that they have kids and this is what it looks like most of the time. They were real.

Recently, The Nester posted about Lived In Chic and it was brilliant and wonderful. Take a peek at the photos and watch the video at the end. You'll love it. They are a reminder to me to stop worrying about everything not being in it's place, container, shelf or drawer and to enjoy the moments I have with my children regardless of the mess. These are special times and one day the kids will be grown and gone and my house will be perfectly clean and quiet. Then I'll be wishing there were Legos and jewelry all over the floor, dirty hand prints on the wall and sticky pop sickle wrappers on the kitchen table. Oh the beauty that can be seen in the mess.

.

Back Seat Fun.

2011-05-18T07:48:00.000-05:00

Long car trips with a two year old does not always equal to fun.

Except when you have two amazing brothers !

They love Maggie so much !!

Ella Knot Pattern Review.

2011-05-12T12:49:00.000-05:00

This is the Ella Knot Pattern by Carrie at Sew Happy and I am so happy that I found her blog and Etsy shop. This knot pattern is very popular right now and you can find many different versions of this pattern ( I have three). But, I have to say that I love Carrie's pattern the best. It is a PDF downloadable pattern that is very easy and straight forward. I made the top while Maggie napped one afternoon. The shorts/capri pattern is from youcanmakethis.com and it is the easy fit pants pattern that I just shortened.

The Ella Knot pattern can be lengthened to make a dress or you can just leave it a lone as a shirt. Also, if you go to Carrie's blog you can see all the beautiful outfits she has made. I love to look at what fabric/color combinations she is using. It is very inspiring and makes me want to sew all day.

Happy Sewing !

Back to Grayton Beach.

2011-05-10T17:24:00.000-05:00

We went camping again at Grayton Beach.

The weather turned out to be really good with no rain.

To me a perfect trip has biking and the beach.

And that's just what we did every day.

That's not a pool, that's the Gulf of Mexico. Isn't it beautiful ? I don't think I have seen it that clear in a long time.

No sign of oil either.

This was Maggie's third time to go the beach, but her first time to go in warm weather. She did not like to walk in the sand, but she loved to play in it. She also loved to be in the water all day !!

I bought these cleap, pink flip-flops at Target before we left and Maggie LOVED them !

We biked to Watercolor, SeaSide and Grayton beach.

It must be noted here that Walker and Will have new bikes because their old bikes fell off the camper bike rack in Elba, Alabama. Rest in peace old bikes, we will miss you.

We spent several days hanging out in Sea Side at the ArtsQuest Art Festival. Really cool art and bands !!

I made Maggie's outfit ( seersucker) and will be doing some sewing posts soon to review patterns like this one that I love.

Chuck's dad was one of the artists at ArtsQuest this week.

He does beautiful wood turning and has won many awards for his work.

Maggie's naps were always on the go poor thing.

Short post today. Maggie is starting to really pitch some good fits and we have had to start dealing with them. Not fun. At All.

Dancing.

2011-05-04T10:46:00.000-05:00

You have turned my wailing into dancing:

You removed my sackcloth,

And clothed me with JOY.

Psalm 30:11

Royal Wedding Fashion review by Maggie.

2011-05-01T17:51:00.000-05:00

Maggie was inspired by some interesting hat choices from the Royal Wedding. Hats are so fun aren't they ?

I've never seen such creative and fun hats in all my life.

Here is her rendition of the blue hat worn by...well, I have no idea who this lady is.

While I think blue is a beautiful color, I think this hat lacks a certain feminineness, don't you think ?

Oh! Much better.

A wide brimmed hat is so beautiful and regal.

Understated and simple.

I think Maggie agrees.

You can't go wrong with a simple, wide hat

( and four random necklaces).

Thankfully, it's ok for a two year old to over accessorize !.

Tornado Update...

2011-04-30T21:24:00.000-05:00

Alabama death toll now at 250... please pray for all the families.

The Alabama Tornadoes.

2011-04-28T14:19:00.001-05:00

April 27th, 2011 was a day we will all remember. Not because we want to. There are 162 deaths confirmed in the state of Alabama and officials think the number will be rising. There are still search and rescue operations going on.

Yesterday, I watched as a huge tornado went right through Tuscaloosa and barely missed Chuck's parents house and his brother's house. All we could do was watch in horror and pray. Then, we watched as the same tornado went through Birmingham and the surrounding suburbs again very close to where my parents and my brother's live. We watched and prayed and I was a basket of nerves.

That night the storms reached our area, but thankfully went just to the north of us and we were spared. We did use our "safe room" two times when we went under a tornado warning. I was so proud of the boys as they knew exactly what to do and Maggie thought it was "fun" to wear her pink bike helmet.

Join us in prayer for all those affected by the tornadoes yesterday in what is being called one of the deadliest natural disasters in US history.

Do you have a tornado plan ?

2011-04-27T12:51:00.001-05:00

There is a high risk for a significant outbreak of Tornadoes in our area today. It is a very ominous threat and the weather forecasters are calling it a "major tornado outbreak" and other words like "a well organized system" and "a great threat" and " a high confidence in the forecast". In other words, be prepared to go to a safe place when you hear your NOAA WEATHER RADIO go off.

We have gone over our family tornado plan with our children, checked to make sure we have batteries in our radios, flashlights are near, cell phones charged and helmets available. We take this threat very seriously.

We have personally seen what damage tornadoes can do and know that having a plan is wise.

This is our safe room. It is on the lowest level and in the center of our house. It also has no windows which makes it even safer. We have lined the helmets up in case we have to seek shelter and the boys each have a job in case we have to put our plan in action. Hopefully, we won't have any bad weather here. But, just in case, we are ready. Are you ?

Maggie and the basket.

2011-04-26T16:04:00.000-05:00

Easter Weekend.

2011-04-24T14:55:00.001-05:00

Happy Easter ! We have had The Best Easter weekend so far. The weather has been wonderful and Chuck's parents spent the weekend with us. We celebrated Good Friday at our church Friday night with a beautiful service. The boys sang with the Chapel choir and our adult choir sang too. It was a very moving reminder of why we celebrate Easter - Christ's crucification and resurrection.

Hallelujah !

We spent Friday afternoon outside playing.

Chuck and his dad worked all weekend on our square foot garden. They put in a drip irrigation system that is amazing. Both of them are brilliant, and it was so fun to watch them put their heads together on this project.

Hopefully, we'll have some big, juicy tomatoes soon !

Saturday afternoon, we got ready to go to our church's Easter egg hunt.

Maggie really loved hunting for the eggs and she LOVED her Easter basket.

She couldn't wait to pour all her eggs out of her basket and see what was in each one.

Sunday, we went to church.

The boys sang during the morning service and again blessed us so much.

Chuck's mom cooked a big Easter southern lunch that was divine ! We had ham, collards, green beans, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, cornbread and coconut cake. Yum !

After lunch, Maggie did a little light reading.

Oh how she loves a good book !

Side Walk Chalk Fun.

2011-04-17T14:12:00.000-05:00

There's been a big box of chalk sitting in our garage for years, just waiting for a little girl.

And she loved it !

And while she played and scribbled, I threw in some pre-school letter learning.

( Thanks to Barney videos, Maggie knows most of her letters)

I drew shapes in different colored chalk,

And we reviewed shapes and colors.

Maggie also made it into some sort of obstacle course, running and crawling through the shapes.

Then, we she got bored with that, she started lining them all up very carefully.

Of course, we had a lot of help from the world's best dog - Charlie ! Thanks for guarding the wagon and scooter Charlie.

You're the best !!!

Speech Update.

2011-04-12T16:53:00.000-05:00

It seems Maggie's speech has just exploded recently. She is repeating so many words now - some words only Chuck and I can recognize - and many words that are very clear.

Here's a list of some words that I can think of that she is really saying good:

purple
blue
yellow
ball
no !!!
bye bye
Hi !!!! ( she loves to wave and say hi to anyone )
Hello ! ( Maggie loves to talk on the "phone" and say hello)
water
cold
hot
arm
elbow
uh oh !
dog - woof
cat - meow
monkey -oooo
oh !
ma ma
pa pa
apple
butterfly
bird
hole
hat
out
I love you !
Will
Walker
Where's ?
Home

Bye Bye.

Maggie gets a birth certificate.

2011-04-07T13:00:00.000-05:00

Do you hear it ? A big sigh of relief. I finished my last adoption paperwork and I now hold in my hands an Alabama Certificate of Foreign Birth ( aka a birth certificate ).

The mother's name is Kathy and the father's name is Chuck. So awesome ! Now, all you adoptive parents are nodding your head ands saying "yes" !

This is what Maggie thought of it.

She was not impressed, but I was.

This picture has nothing to do with her beautiful birth certificate.

She was just telling me she was cold. Cool !

More Story Book Farm

2011-04-06T22:04:00.000-05:00

Cowboy Jack fitting Maggie with her riding helmet.

I think Maggie was saying "hi" (with her cute southern accent)

to all her friends at the farm.

Maggie finally got to trot on her horse "Tom Sawyer" today and loved it !

One tired little girl...

Passed out !!!

Improvising.

2011-03-29T21:50:00.000-05:00

We take Maggie's hearing aid off for her bath ( it can not get wet) and then usually leave it off while she plays a little before bedtime. This gives her head a rest from the elastic band she has to wear everyday and from the constant amplified noise she hears through her hearing aid. But, this means that she can not hear one of her favorite things - music. The girl loves music !! She even has started asking for her hearing aid so she can listen to music while she is in her crib ( she does not wear her hearing aid for naps or bedtime).

One day, she stumbled upon a way to listen to her music without wearing her hearing aid - the baby monitor. The receiver is in her room and was picking up her cd player playing her favorite signing times cd. She could hear it faintly through the baby monitor, but when she held it up to her ear she could really hear it clearly.

She played and played while she listened to her music. Maggie was so happy to have found out this new way to hear. I don't think she will let anything stop her from experiencing life to the fullest !

Maggie continues to amaze us. Sometimes we just sit and watch her and are in awe that this is the same silent baby we met in China. Before and After pictures constantly run through my head as I hear her tell me she loves me and that she is thirsty. This little one that is so smart and determined. A miracle right before us.

Art.

2011-03-24T20:55:00.000-05:00

Maggie got to do some crafty art work at speech yesterday and she loved it !

I think she loved using the glue stick the most.

( and yes, she is posing for this picture and showing a hint of a smile- love, love, love it )

She is working on the sound "p" this week, hence the "pop corn tree". (love the fish lips !)

Maggie is doing great with her "p" words. Her favorites to say are : papa, open, up and pop.

(More posing and smiling for the camera)

Posing.

2011-03-17T21:44:00.000-05:00

I was just clicking away and taking pictures of Maggie, when she stopped tilted her head and posed. She waited until I snapped the picture and then she went running away, wrinkled her nose and smelled the flowers.

I don't remember reading that posing for pictures was on the two year developmental milestone checklist. But, we certainly think posing is a big milestone for Maggie.

Her Best Friend.

2011-03-17T13:29:00.000-05:00

Maggie was given many gifts before we even left for China to bring her home. Little did we know how special this one gift would be.

Our good friends from The Employee Pharmacy gave Maggie a stuffed Minnie Mouse and it has become her very best friend.

She hugs and kisses her all the time. She makes her crack up laughing and Maggie drags her around everywhere so Minnie won't be left out.

When I lay Maggie down for her nap, she will play with Minnie for about an hour before she gives in to sleep. We usually hear lots of loud laughing from Maggie's room during nap time because Minnie is hanging upside down or turning flips in her crib. It is so funny !

And, while most parents take for granted that their child has a favorite stuffed animal, we don't. We know that Maggie went fourteen months with out a special friend, toys or much interaction.

The only thing she could sleep with or have in her crib was a white wash cloth in which she comforted herself by rubbing her lower lip on. ( This is a fairly common practice in Chinese orphanages).

So, we love Minnie and we're so thankful Maggie has a sweet best friend that's always around to play with and comfort her.

Disney World will be so fun to go to one day !!!

Storybook Farm

2011-03-07T14:03:00.000-06:00

Maggie is participating in equine therapy at Storybook Farm this year. She has only been two times, but already is loving it ! ( in a cautious, but excited kind of way)

The volunteers are so sweet and really love what they do - helping and loving children.

I am so excited that Maggie has the opportunity to learn how to ride horses, make new friends and work on building her core muscles/posture ! The weather has been so nice too. I am sure I will post lots more pictures as she gets more accustomed to riding. Isn't she so cute with her little, tiny riding helmet and look at her holding onto the saddle. Adorable and Amazing !!

It's fun being two.

2011-03-03T18:29:00.000-06:00

Are You My Mommy ?

2011-03-02T12:31:00.000-06:00

I am a member of several adoption advocacy groups and am always seeing these beautiful children that need to be adopted. And my heart aches so bad for them. I want to go and adopt all of them. Seriously. But, as of today, we are not adopting any time soon. It's killing me....

So, I plan to start advocating for waiting children on my blog. I am not sure how I will go about it. But, I figure that is the least I can do if I can't adopt them. Please join me in praying for these children and advocating for them if you so feel led.

Please go here and see " Molly". She is an adorable little girl with a complicated ( but not hopeless) heart condition. She is bright, cheerful and developmentally on track. Are you her Mommy ?

Sick baby, sleeping in and changes.

2011-02-21T22:12:00.001-06:00

Maggie has been so sick with RSV. It started out as a little cold, then she got Strep, then she tested positive for RSV. She continued to get worse and worse and it was very scary. There is no medicine for RSV ( a virus) and breathing treatments don't really help. Maggie's breathing was very labored and her respirations got up to 57 breaths/min - that's fast ! She had a terrible, hacking cough and a high fever. Why is it every time I start to think about how healthy my children are and how they never get sick - they get sick ?

But, she is starting to feel much better !! Her fever is gone,her breathing is back to normal and the cough is getting a little better. I am just glad she is walking around and playing after spending three days sleeping in my arms. We even got out and went to the park ( forgot my camera) and Maggie loved it ! She went down the slide a million times and even walked fearlessly on the swing bridge at the playground. And the weather was perfect !

We all stayed up way to late last night watching a movie ( National Treasure). So, after breakfast this morning, the boys made pallets in the kitchen and went back to sleep. Why they didn't just go back to their bed instead of laying on the kitchen floor is what I want to know. Today was President's Day so they didn't have school.

The boys are really trying to get all the sleeping in they can get because next year......

...they are going to school. Yep. This is my last year home schooling them. We have had a lot of fun these last four years, but it is time to move on. We are all excited ( well, Walker and Will are not happy about getting up early).

Maggie will also be starting school - Two year old preschool three days a week ! I think it will be very good for her speech development and she LOVES playing at Mother's Day out so far. So lots of changes for next year and an empty, quiet house that I will have to get used to. There are definitely seasons in a mom's life and I feel like I'm about to drastically change climates !

Speech and Signing Update.

2011-02-15T22:21:00.000-06:00

I love this picture of Maggie and her big, bright smile.
Beautiful!!!
(Those luscious lips have no lip stick on they are el naturale!!)

Maggie is signing "dirty" in this picture.

She was looking at some mud under the tree in our front yard.

We use the video series Signing Time to learn American Sign Language. Maggie learns so quickly by just watching the videos and we make sure we say what the sign is every time she signs.

It has become evident that Maggie is a visual learner and learns best by seeing something in a book or a video. People with sensory deficits in one area usually have a heightened sense in another. So, it is with Maggie. It is kind of funny... Maggie had a hearing problem and she really does hear quite well now. She actually hears without the BAHA if we speak just a little louder. Now that she knows what hearing is and that it is important, she listens better too. I know that sounds weird but its just how it is. So, if she got the deluxe vision package due to the hearing impairment and now is hearing great with her BAHA... well, she must be Wonder Woman!
God has blessed her indeed!

Our little girl loves leaves and always finds some to play with.

Ok. Now for some updates:

Maggie has had her new BAHA hearing aid for six months now and so has a "hearing age" of a six month old baby.

( Her hearing age is determined by the amount of months she has been hearing and the first day she wore her BAHA was day one.)

With that said, Maggie is doing fantastic!
We are still so amazed at her progress since she got her BAHA.

Here's a list of her spoken words so far:

mama

bye bye

Wu Wu ( Walker or Will)

Where Wu Wu ( Where's Walker or Will)

"H" for house, heart,or horse

"F" for fish, fall down

Bu ( for bus)

Woof

Maggie's Signing words:

Eat,milk,water,ball,more,bird,dog,shoes,flower,mom,dad,sleep,bear,please,share,thank you,book,socks,yes,no,dirty,potty,bath,hurt,stop and home.

The many faces of Maggie.

2011-02-10T22:33:00.000-06:00

This is her "I'm mad face" because I am trying to take her picture. For some reason, Maggie does not like to see my camera now.

At. All.

She starts crying right away when she sees the camera. ughhh !!

This is her "surprised" look when I ask her to act surprised.

Cracks me up. I don't think she'll win any acting awards.

And, just in case any one is wondering why Maggie is sitting on the kitchen table playing with dry rice....

It's a speech therapy technique to try to get her to say "d" for duck and dog ( somehow the cow got in there too, oops).

Maggie had to "d"ig for the "d"uck and the "d"og. She loved it !!

A girl and her hamburger.

2011-02-10T08:11:00.000-06:00

Camping at Grayton Beach.

2011-02-06T14:58:00.000-06:00

I have found the cure for Cabin Fever.... go camping.

It forces you to play outside with your children and enjoy the cold air and blue sky.

Grayton Beach is a sleepy little beach town nestled with live oaks and cottages.

We camped at Grayton Beach state park ( Florida) and this is our campsite view.

I thought it was very old Florida - like. Beautiful. Natural.

Chuck and Walker cooked our traditional pancakes and sausage breakfast. Yum !!!

The beach was beautiful and empty.

This is what Maggie thought of it.....

She was not sure of all the white stuff and cold wind, but it didn't take her long to realize the beach is pretty fun.

We went biking a lot and Maggie enjoyed riding around in her own "princess buggy".

Walker and Will dreaming of ice cream at Seaside.

Our campsite was filled with gravel, which proved to be one of the funnest parts of the trip.

Will and Maggie loved to play in it !

Finally, Maggie starts to enjoy the beach !

We can't wait to go back !

A Great Wonder.

2011-01-31T13:52:00.000-06:00

It is a great wonder that Maggie was even born considering the options for pregnant woman in China.

It is a great wonder that Maggie was found alive by a police man, just after she was born, on the side of a road.

It is a great wonder that she survived fourteen months in a poor orphanage, confined to a baby bed and silence.

It is a great wonder we were able to complete the mountains of paperwork and red tape to fly half way around the world and enter a Communist country to bring home Maggie.

It is a great wonder that Maggie is doing so amazing just one year after she was first placed in our arms.

Give thanks to the Lord of Lords, to Him who alone does Great Wonders. Psalm 136:3-4

Maggie and the shapes Part 2

2011-01-24T22:34:00.000-06:00

Shapes.

2011-01-20T23:01:00.000-06:00

I started showing Maggie what a circle was a while back. Whenever I saw something that was in the shape of a circle, I would tell her " that's a circle" and make a big deal about it. Then, I moved onto showing her what a square was. For Christmas, I got Maggie a short board book about shapes and we have been reading it everyday (about three times a day or more). She loves it !

Now, she knows all her shapes. Yep, even the odd ones like arrow, oval, rectangle and diamonds. She can't say them ,but when I ask her where a certain shape is she points to it. Crazy Amazing if you ask me !!!

You see, I honestly didn't know what Maggie was capable of when we first got home from china. I wondered if she would just lay on the floor and look at her hands all her life. It is a horrible thought to have, I know. And, if she would have laid on the floor and looked at her hands all her life, we would have loved her all the same. We just didn't know. We took each day at a time.

But, now. Well, Maggie is blowing me away with all that she is doing. She is signing everything we can teach her and just picks up new signs so fast. Her speech is improving, not as fast as I would like, but still improving every day. She no longer needs Occupational Therapy for her hands. She can stack blocks up so high they almost reach her head, draw a circle, feed herself and string beads - yeah !!! Go Maggie go !!!

God, we thank you again for all of our prayers you have answered. We know your timing is always perfect and trust you with all the unknowns that lie ahead. Amen.

Busy.

2011-01-19T22:16:00.000-06:00

I have been incredibly busy lately with school, speech therapy and all the other stuff that keeps our family running smoothly. But, knowing that a beach trip is coming soon sure does help make it all better !

I am working on a post about my favorite sewing patterns, fabrics and sewing tips. It was almost complete and the Blogger decided to not save my post. So, as soon as I get some more time I will finish it. Also, Maggie is doing and saying so much now it is hard to keep up with her. I will post an update soon. We continue to be amazed !!

Midday Maggie Video

2011-01-14T14:37:00.000-06:00

January Randomness.

2011-01-11T21:45:00.000-06:00

We had Black eye peas, bar bq, sweet potatoes, and sweet tea for New Years dinner.

Chuck cooked it all and it was so very good ! (We like ketchup on our peas)

We got Maggie the Loving Family doll house for Christmas and she loves it !

It is the cutest doll house and the furniture is so fun.

Maggie loves to put the baby in the red wagon and pull it around.

The baby swing is adorable too !

She also loves to put the loving family daddy in a chair and have him sit at the kitchen table and eat.

Maggie signs "eat" to the daddy. Hmmm....

Someone left a box of Crackers out in the living room.

Maggie thought it would be fun to spread them out all over the floor and dance on top of them.

Maggie's little hands holding her bottle.

So sweet.

Maggie's first haircut.

2011-01-08T09:04:00.000-06:00

I decided to cut Maggie's hair last night. It was getting a little out of hand and mullet looking in the back. So, instead of taking her to a salon, I thought I would try to cut it myself. It can't be too hard, right ?

Having NO idea what I am doing and feeling like an eight year old girl cutting her dolls hair, I just started cutting. It was a little scary at first and I had a moment of " what have I done ?" Then, slowly, it started actually looking like a real hair cut !!! Maggie did great and she watched her favorite video - signing time-while I cut away at her hair. I think it turned out really cute.

Before

After

wordless wednesday.

2011-01-05T07:39:00.000-06:00

Mandarin House ( Maggie's Gotcha Day Celebration)

Super Velcro Baby !

2011-01-03T15:07:00.000-06:00

I think all the Christmas traveling and festivities has upset Maggie big time. Her schedule has been disrupted and she has taken a step backward into the Velcro Baby phase. She was doing so good before December and I was seeing a big improvement in her clinging to me. But, she is back to her " I want Mommy all the time, won't let me put her down and have to see Mommy's face and sit in her lap to play".

So, of course Maggie needs me. She needs to know I am there for her and needs to have that time with me. It is just a part of her healing emotionally. And, she is emotionally delayed due to her institutional background. and can not always deal with things like separation. She's also a typical two year old and a tiny bit spoiled.

I have lots to write about and share and have been wanting to post about our Christmas and how much Maggie loves her doll house and the boys love their soft blankets and Auburn shirts, about how wonderful our gotcha day celebration was and all the New years reflections I have. But, all that will have to wait for now.

I have a Super Velcro Baby that needs me.

Maggie's One Year Gotcha Day Anniversary Video

2010-12-27T23:01:00.000-06:00

Maggie's new doll house... Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-25T10:32:00.000-06:00

Maggie... Do you want to eat?

2010-12-24T10:10:00.000-06:00

This is a video of what happens when we ask Maggie if she wants to eat.

Merry Christmas.

2010-12-23T11:15:00.000-06:00

December Speech Update

2010-12-21T18:25:00.000-06:00

Doesn't she look so big in the pictures ?

Now for the update :

1. Sign Language: It is somewhat controversial to teach a hearing impaired child sign language when that child has the ability to hear through hearing aids. One of the thoughts behind this is that a hearing impaired child will tend to hold on to signing and will not want to use their voice. A non hearing impaired child will drop the sign language easily and talk.( I am sure there is a ton of research and info out on this topic and I am just skirting the issue.) So we had a decision to make a while back - to teach Maggie sign language or not. Her Auditory/verbal teacher felt Maggie had just as much ability to speak as she did to sign. But, she left the decision up to us and also Maggie is not your typical child. She has other issues: orphanage,severe lack of stimulation as a baby and developmental delays due to orphanage. There's no nice color coded chart that tells us what to do with Maggie. It has all been trial and error so far.

We decided to slowly introduce Maggie to signing. Communication is very important and she had no way to tell us anything - except crying and taking our hand to show us something. It seemed cruel to not teach her a way to communicate while we wait on her language development. I see sign language as a bridge to speaking. Plain and simple.

We started with one word - milk. Then we added more and all done. The following are the words Maggie can sign on her own using the correct context:

milk

more

all done

bath

home

yes

cry

rock the baby

shhhh ( or night night)

eat

please

2. Speech : It has been a long road to get Maggie to talk. Sometimes I thought she would never talk. When she played she was so quiet and she babbled off and on, but not a lot. In November she started saying ahhh

with a good open mouth sound. I was reading to Maggie one day about colors. I said "red, red you say red", and she said ahhh. I know, it sounded nothing like red, but it was the first time she copied me and tried to repeat a word. From then on anytime I asked her to say the name of something she would say ahhh. For example, yel-low would be ahh-ahhh, blue would be a short ah. Very exciting for us and for Maggie. She's trying to talk.

Last week she started saying baaa consistently and when asked to say blue now she says baa. Oh, she's so close ! Sometimes she actually says the word. I have heard her say purple and apple. Random I know.

Here's a list of words Maggie can say all by herself and in context:

mama

bye bye

ma-ma ( more)

gu-gu ( dog)

That's a terribly short list of words for a two year old, but we are so proud of our little girl. She is working so hard and is really making huge leaps and bounds toward catching up developmentally. Tonight she danced and danced and laughed. I was caught up in watching her joy for life and her happiness was almost too much to take in.

God has done so many Miracles for Maggie and for us. Just the fact that she is in the living room twirling and dancing is a huge miracle. So, we are rejoicing at this small little list of words Maggie is saying. It is our Big Christmas miracle this year.

Reading To Maggie.

2010-12-15T12:27:00.000-06:00

You may have tangible wealth untold:

Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.

Richer than I you can never be -

I had a mother who read to me.

-Strickland Gillilan

"The Reading Mother"

Maggie loves books. Well, love doesn't even to begin to describe her relationship with books. She needs books, craves them. I spend hours everyday just rocking Maggie and reading her books.

The picture above is a stack of books I read her this morning. She signs please-more after each book. Her little fingers point to the pictures and she loves to know the names of things and the sounds they make. I ask her to point to animals,apples,colors,shapes and she knows exactly what I am talking about. She knows so much, I believe, because of books.

Her mind is a sponge right now, taking in everything and learning so much lately. She even wants to sleep with her books and reads them when she eats.

Even though Maggie is not yet talking up a storm, her receptive language (the listening and understanding of language) is amazing. She intently listens to the stories I read and knows exactly when it is time to turn the page. It is easy for Maggie to pay attention and sit for an hour sometimes when I read to her.

There's so much that is happening as we read together : Bonding, vocabulary and knowledge building are just some. And the best source for building up her brain with words and sounds is reading.

Two books I love that explain the importance of reading to children and also have detailed lists of books for different ages are:

Honey For A Child's Heart by Gladys Hunt

The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease.

I love these books and they stay on my nightstand and go to the library with me.

Happy reading !

Can't wait to watch this.

2010-12-15T07:42:00.000-06:00

Watch this show on Jan. 8th. Love it !!!

It's about a couple that unexceptionably adopts a group of children.

And it has Brooke White ( from American Idol).

Yeah for family friendly movies on adoption !!!

:30 Change of Plans from Moms4FamilyTV.com on Vimeo.

Adoption Paperwork.

2010-12-14T10:49:00.000-06:00

I am still doing adoption paper work one year later.

In the state of Alabama, you have to apply through your local courthouse to re-adopt. The re-adoption will then allow us to get Maggie an Alabama birth certificate.

Personally, I think it is crazy to have to re-adopt my child that is fully adopted and fully my child. Crazy !!!

But, since I am at the mercy of this insane governmental laws right now, I spent most of the day yesterday doing paperwork and gathering the necessary forms so that we can re- adopt our already adopted daughter.

I was told you don't have to have a lawyer in order to re adopt in Alabama. So, I just did all the work myself.

I figure if I can put a Dossier together for China, I can fill out a couple of forms. And I did. It was pretty easy and the clerk at the courthouse said it looked fine. So, I am not sure why some people use a lawyer and spend hundreds of dollars ? Let's pray I did everything right and we will not have to hire a lawyer.

Now for some pictures. Merry Christmas !

Buckets and Buckets of Love.

2010-12-13T22:23:00.000-06:00

One Year Post Placement

2010-12-10T09:23:00.000-06:00

In 30 minutes our social worker wil be here to complete our one year post placement adoption paper work that must go to China.

One year? Does time really go by that fast ?

Almost one year ago, we met our beautiful daughter. She was a shell of a baby, unable to use her hands, she had no language or communication, no desire to eat, no hearing, and no concept of love.

She had many signs of being in an institution (self soothing) - looking at hands constantly, rocking back and forth, wierd rolling of her eyes and head banging. And oh ! How we loved her at first sight !

And so began the loving and nurturing of Maggie.

Also lots of therapy, hearing aids, prayer and time. One year. Our baby is so different now. So special and so sweet.

Ok, I'll have to finish this later...the door bell is ringing.

A Few Of My Favorite Things.

2010-12-06T15:59:00.000-06:00

Maggie's pink corduroy church coat. Adorable. It has a matching pink bonnet too.

I had a coat like this when I was little. I loved it.

Our small town Christmas parade. Magical.

My boys doing the dishes e.v.e.r.y.d.a.y.

Sweet Christmas pajamas.

Warrrr Eagle, Hey !

2010-12-04T20:56:00.000-06:00

Putting up the Christmas tree 2010

2010-12-01T22:44:00.002-06:00

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQqlFl6oxOw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Chuck Beams

Weekend at Nin and Papa's

2010-12-01T22:44:00.000-06:00

Help bring Anna Faith home.

2010-11-28T19:40:00.000-06:00

Please go over here and enter the giveaway for a $500 Walmart gift card ! Just in time for Christmas !!

All proceeds will go toward the adoption of the McKNIGHT family's special needs daughter - Anna Faith.

Please, please,please join me in supporting this incredible, life changing thing called ADOPTION.

A White Thanksgiving Weekend in Auburn.

2010-11-27T18:38:00.000-06:00

War Eagle !!!

Maggie may not understand why there is toilet paper in the trees, who Cam is or what exactly War Eagle means, but she had a great time walking around downtown Auburn today in her new pink coat ( holding a random spoon in her hand that she wouln't leave in the car).

Finger Painting.

2010-11-26T23:10:00.001-06:00

...with yogurt. Mmmm

Happy Thanksgiving !

2010-11-24T08:10:00.000-06:00

I have three reasons to be so thankful: Walker, Will and our sweet Maggie !

Happy Thanksgiving

The Basket Girl.

2010-11-15T22:49:00.001-06:00

Maggie is so funny some times. Really. You just had to be there.

She walked around all night with a laundry basket on her head. And then played like usual, except she had a huge blue basket on her head.

Cracks me up !! Excuse the messy living room. It looks like this most of the time though - sippy cup on floor, turned over grocery cart and random toys under the chair. Love it !

Christmas Cards.

2010-11-14T15:12:00.001-06:00

I am not sure where you are from, but in the South, we send Christmas cards. Not just any cards mind you. We send Christmas Cards with pictures of our children ( usually dressed in their Christmas best, beach family photos, or even cute poses with funny Christmas hats). The cards are wonderful gifts that we love to get in the mail. It is so fun to walk to the mailbox during the month of December. Will I get a card from my college roommate and see how big her children are now ? Or will it be my sweet nieces from Birmingham all dressed in their matching outfits ?

We display our cards in a card tree during December, then they go in THE BASKET after Christmas. The Basket holds all the past and present Christmas cards for us to go through all year long and look at. The boys love to sit by the fire and rummage through it, looking for pictures of their friends and family and seeing how they have changed over the years.

Our favorite cards to send are simple photo cards like this one or this one or this one. OK, Shutterfly has too many cute ones, it will be hard to pick this year.

Oh, and send me a Christmas card this year. We love them and we don't throw them away either !

Go here To get 50 Christmas cards free from Shutterfly.