Two and a half Months

Then (first day we met)

Now (Christmas day)

That's how long Liza has been out of the orphanage. Only two and a half months. In that time she has begun to change and develop SO much. I'm not sure anyone who knew her before would believe what a different child she is.

When we first met her she tried to scare us away with a "dragon noise" she had perfected somewhere along her journey thru life in an orphanage. It's hard to describe but it was almost like a hissing and was very obviously aggressive. She also had only two sounds that she communicated through, and they really weren't anything anyone could understand. She would say, "Ah papa papapapa" when she was conversing with you and "Ah wuh ah wuh" when she was telling you what to do. When she started with the "ah wuh's" you knew you were in trouble cause you were supposed to get busy doing something, but only she knew what it was! Usually that was when she would grab you by the hand and direct you to whatever it was. Let's hope you figured it out or you were probably gonna get a smack. Hey, orphanage behaviors! This is all she knew. She taught herself to take on the role of being in charge and watched everything that happened around her. She got really good at imitating and because of that we have a pretty good guess what things are like in the place that she came from. I, for one, would love to shake the hand of whoever taught her to go around blinking, pointing, and saying," Ah-hummm!!!" when something's happening she doesn't agree with (that's a little sarcasm there - in case you couldn't tell). Honestly, though all the little behaviors like that are part of who she is, they can be annoying, but they also make us smile.

The other day I started writing down all the signs she's learned since she's been with us and I was amazed! I didn't realize just how many she has learned until they were written down. She learned about 10-12 while we were in U***** from me and from other Moms we met. Since we have been home she has fallen in love with Signing Time and would watch it all day if I would let her. she has learned about FIFTY signs from watching ST. I was just blown away when I started counting them! this girl is smart, and I'm not just saying that cause I'm her Mama.

She also has started to say words. She actually had a few just a couple weeks after leaving the orphanage. I think her first word was Dog, and to that she has added Hi, Oh yeah, off, up, and really. She can also say Mama, Papa, Noah, and sometimes Austin. She just seems to prefer to sign everything right now though. The funniest thing she does is instead of talking to us she has started making what we call the "piggy noise", it comes from the back of her throat and we can't figure out how she does it. Sometimes she will carry on an entire conversation with you just oinking at you. It's really cute, but I hope she starts to try to use actual words someday and not just oinking.

Some other things that have changed are her eating habits and mobility. She used to pack her mouth full of food until she would choke. I stopped letting her feed herself early on because of this. Now she most of the time takes bites of her food and waits before she tries to put more in her mouth. She is back to feeding herself and for the most part does a really great job at it. She learned to walk maybe eight months to a year ago and was still very unsteady when we met her and preferred to ride in a stroller or be held - now she is starting to try to run and wants to walk most of the time. She also learned to jump and it's one of her favorite things to do.

We are hoping she will start school two days a week soon at the local public Special Ed preschool. She amazed the teachers when she went to be evaluated the other day. I had a feeling that might happen. We really want her to have a full year of preschool and then go on to kindergarten at 6 almost 7, but right now that's up in the air since that particular class has never allowed children that old to stay in the program. I guess we'll see what happens.


We have been so amazed at how she has come out of her shell and showed us just what she's always been capable of. There are so many kids who still wait for someone to see the potential in them and just give them a chance to thrive like Liza has done in just the short amount of time that we've known her. We are so blessed to be her family and get to see first hand just what God has in store for her life. We know that this is just the beginning.

Blind Bartimaeus

I decided to take the challenge to read the New Testament thru in 30 days and continue to do that each month of this year. (Check it out at YouVersion if you're interested). The other day I was reading Mark 10 and I got to the story of Blind Bartimaeus and I just read it over and over again. Here's what it says:

46 Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. 47 And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”49 So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called the blind man, saying to him, “Be of good cheer. Rise, He is calling you.”50 And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus.51 So Jesus answered and said to him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The blind man said to Him, “Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.”52 Then Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your faith has made you well.” And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road.

It made me think of Maxim and all the kids on Reece's Rainbow, and all the kids just waiting somewhere to be seen - to be heard. What if they are Bartimaeus in this moment? What if we are their voice? What happens if we don't cry out for them? 

They are crying out for Jesus to have mercy on them. It's up to us to decide if we will be their voice. Or will we be the ones who tell them to be quiet? That Jesus is too busy for them. When really it's us who are too busy for them, aren't we? 

I saw this quote the other day and I loved it: ““We will go before God to be judged, and God will ask us, ‘Where are your wounds?’ And we will say, ‘We have no wounds.’ And God will ask, ‘Was nothing worth fighting for?’” — Rev. Allan Boesak” 

I'd like to stand before God and proudly show off my battle scars, knowing that I have tried my hardest to be the hands and feet of Jesus. When I see a "blind Bartimaeus" who needs to me to be his voice I want to do what it takes to yell at the top of my lungs on his behalf: "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on them". 

Do you notice at the very end of those verses Jesus tells him to go his way, but instead he "followed Jesus on the road"? I believe that is what these ones who we bring before the Throne will do. They will follow Jesus and shine such a light that they will cause others to turn and follow Him to.

Please don't be afraid to be the voice of a "Blind Bartimaeus" today! Whether it's a child in foster care who know one else is willing to take a chance on, the homeless man you see on the street every day, or a child like Maxim who waits for some one to be his voice. Our wounds will be so worth it someday.

Blog From My Phone?

I have a new phone (sorta new ~ got it before we went for Liza) and supposedly I can blog from my phone using this cool little app. This is a test. Anyone seeing this? I hope it works! :)

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.5

Music and Life: This Christmas

I love this song. It has been one of my favorite Christmas songs by a Christian artist since it was first released. the story of the little boy touches you and draws you in. It just makes you remember what Christmas is really supposed to be about.

But THIS Christmas it hits me so much harder. This Christmas everytime I hear this song I can't help but look at my daughter and ache for the Christmases that she was alone, but in the same moment rejoice that she is now no longer an orphan. That This Christmas she will celebrate with a family. She will belong.

But, still the tears come. My throat clogs up and I can't talk. Because This Christmas I remember the faces of the children who are still there. The ones who will be all alone This Christmas. I can't stand the thought. I'm crying as I type this. "My" sweet hearts - the ones I held and loved on. The ones I saw from across the room because I wasn't allowed to go in to them and they were never allowed to come out because they can't walk, or they can't see. These faces are haunting me This Christmas. I can't stand the thought that there are children who will pass Christmas day as if it were just another day. Now that I have seen them and held them it is so much more real to me. My heart is breaking.

This Christmas my prayer, my wish, the only thing I really want is for them to have families who want them. Who will move Heaven and Earth to bring them home. That truly is my hearts cry.

Please visit Reece's Rainbow. I beg you to especially take a look at Maxim or Evan or Kate or just any of the hundreds of kids listed who need families so desperately.

Sunday Snapshot: So, Where's Liza?

Well, she is AT HOME!! Finally :)

Gotta love her silly faces! LOL This is on the plane.

We actually have been home 10 days today, but this is the first chance I've had to update here. Hmm, wonder why? Not like I've been busy......


What? did I make a mess?

 Liza has been busy too. Wrapping everybody she meets around her little fingers.

Meeting her cousin Jayvion. They liked each other alot.



Playing Great Grandma's piano. I hope my Grandma was looking down on her and smiling.



She turned her high chair into a "machina".



Then she roped one of "The Brothers" (Noah) into playing Machina with her.
He loved it, I'm pretty sure.

She ate Spaghetti all by herself!



She made a mess with all her new toys.



And after all that she was worn out!

She has jumped right into our family just like she always knew she was supposed to be here. Her transition really has been so easy so far, I really believe that God answered our prayers to prepare her for us before we got to her. He is good and He is faithful!







Music and Life: Can't Forget What I Saw

I've shared this song before but the video was slightly different. I have loved the song ever since the first time I heard it, I felt like she was singing my heart's cry. But, since I have been here and so many of those faces have become real, and not just pictures on my computer screen, this song has even more meaning.

I saw what I saw and I really can't forget it. People talk about how there is a hunger in the children's eyes and it makes you tear up, but it's not real until you've seen it yourself. Until you've held them in your arms and you know that when you leave you can't take them all with you. I laughed when they chased after us for snacks and attention, but I cried my last day there knowing I was leaving them behind.

Come on just imagine for a minute. Can you see what I've seen? The need is so great, but we have been called to meet it. All it takes is one step of faith. I promise He will meet you there. He is FAITHFUL and He has called.

Religion that God our Father accepts as

pure and faultless is this: to look after

orphans and widows

in their distress and to keep oneself

from being polluted by the world. James 1:27

Please consider giving a donation to Reece's Rainbow today to give these children a home, a hope, and a future. You could donate to Evan, my Christmas Angel, or any of the other kids listed on Reece's Rainbow. The only thing that stands in the way of all of these kids having families is money. It's the honest truth, in the last few months I have seen at least 3 kids have families commit to them the MOMENT there grants were fully funded. Please give or go. Allow yourself to see what I, and so many others, have seen. It is SO worth how your heart may break!

My New Laundry Helper

I lost the kid and when I found her this is what she was doing.



Hello there! This is fascinating!



Ah-hem!! (Andrea? Sound familiar?) Did you just say my shoes are in here?! My pink Cons?!



Allo. Can't talk now gotta make sure this Mama woman hasn't killed my shoes! 



Just had to throw this one in cause she's so dang gorgeous! Even when she's bossing me all around the apartment :)



Ten Things I've Learned Living in Liza's Birth Country

1. Potato Chips SHOULD NOT taste like mushrooms. Ever! (and I actually like mushrooms, but not on my chips, thankyaverymuch!)
2. The Mullet is very much still in style! I had heard this, but didn't believe it till I saw it for myself. Hmm, doesn't Europe set the fashion pace? Just sayin'. Austin? Noah? They say it's business up front and party in the back... ;o)
3. Spaghetti is in fact NOT one of the four main food groups and if you absolutely have to have it you better learn to make your own sauce before you come or bring some Ragu with ya! (I was very disappointed to learn this one - the hard way)
4. Hot Dogs served from a hot dog stand that looks like it says Crapdosis can actually be pretty good, or so I've been told.
5. It really is ok to wear stockings under your shorts, in fact it's considered quite fashionable. Now, why wouldn't my mom let me wear mine that way back when?... hmpphh
6. Even when it's 80 degrees Faherenheit outside children can still get sick if not wrapped in at least 4 layers, plus a hat, plus a scarf tied around the collar of the coat, and don't forget the tights under it all, girl or boy.
7. But don't worry Dads, your boys aren't wearing any girly tights. You can get tights with all types of designs - flowers, trucks, teddy bears, zig-zags, fishnet.... you name it they got it.
8. When the Landlady says the cable will be on in a few hours what she really means is, a few hours after you move out it will be back on in the apartment you just moved out of.
9. Time here is very flexible. If you say you need your driver to pick you up in an hour he may or may not be there in 15 minutes, or if your train is supposed to arrive at 11:30 it may or may not sit right outside the station from 11:30 - 12:30. Hey, you were still "there", right?
10. If you stand up against the back inside wall of a bus and the driver goes super fast and hits all the bumps and potholes, you really can touch the ceiling with your head. Even if you're only 5' tall. Fun times!

In all honesty and seriousness, I really have learned a lot since being here. Some good and some not as good, but I am so grateful for this experience - even the extra time I have spent here just me and Liza. Yep, as of this posting we are still here. Hoping for good news about my prints, they were kicked back for "quality", early this coming week. I am SO looking forward to real American food: spaghetti (yeah, yeah it's Italian.. whatever), chili, cornbread, tacos (um, yeah Mexican ok ok), I could go on....., seeing my Boys, and my Hubby, and my Church family.

Soon, I will be home soon. Then I will probably miss some of the things here. I will definitely miss some of the people and the kids I've left behind. Never thought I would say that in the beginning, but I will.

Orphan Sunday 2010

On this Orphan Sunday I am so happy to be able to say that my little Liza is an orphan no more. Praise Jesus! BUT..... there are so many others who still wait. I can't help everyday but to think of the little ones that we left behind when we took her from her Baby house. Some of them I don't even know if they are available for adoption - maybe they are and they just aren't listed with Reece's Rainbow cause they don't have any special needs. Two of them that chased us around a lot when they were outside while we had Liza (they knew we had snacks and they loved the attention) were Vika and Tonya. I fell in love with those little girls and wanted so badly to just put them in my pocket and take them with me.

I see them as a pair cause they were usually always together and they were usually always up to some type of mischief. Vika (I was never able to get a pic of her but there's one in the link)is so hyper - she just runs around all over the place on short little legs yelling something in Russian. She has such a reputation for being on the go at all times that the orphanage staff has nicknamed her Coca-Cola. I just thought that was so stinkin' funny, but it really does suit her. Bubbly, sweet, make you run in circles Coca-Cola. Oh, how I long to hear that she has been placed in a loving family!

Sweet little Tonya! Oh, she stole my heart with the first little smile she gave me! She has the cutest little round face with the biggest, brightest smile and beautiful brown eyes. She seems to be a little more follower to Vika's leader but it works out well for them - well, until they get themselves into some kinda scrape. And Tonya has that sweet innocent face that makes you fall for the "what did I do?".  I know you see what I mean.... Don't you wanna live with that face looking up at yours?

I really don't know if either of these two are even available for adoption but they represent just a couple that I held in my arms and loved on. To me this is exactly what the orphan looks and feels like. I can honestly say that I love these two little  girls and pray for the best for them, which in my mind is a family of their own.

Then there's Maxim (click the link to read his profile and donate). Are you tired of seeing his face? Well that's just too dang bad! Cause I am going to keep talking about him until his Mom and Dad find him. So, if you'd like me to shut up about him you could help me find his parents! Sounds like a good plan to me :)


I just don't see how anyone can resist this face! He is precious :)




I'm a Christmas Warrior for EVAN 

 Isn't Evan just adorable? Evan is my Christmas Angel, that means that I have promised to pray for him to find a family and for his grant to grow. It also means that I have promised to advocate and raise money for him during this season. Click on the link above to see the entire Angel Tree and other kids that you can donate for - click on Evan to donate for him. Every $35 gift receives a Christmas tree ornament. These are great gifts for those who you don't know what to buy for but would appreciate knowing a donation was made in their name. And, who wouldn't love to spruce up their tree with a picture or two or three of Evan and some of his buddies?

 

These are just a few of the faces that move me to act. To continue to advocate. There are so many children in need of families. they desperately long for someone to call their own - I've seen them and I know what they are looking for. There is no one who can tell me that being adopted isn't in the best interests of these children. If you think differently then I DARE you to go to an orphanage, spend time loving on the children there, ask them what they long for the most, and then let's talk about what is best for the orphans of this world.

 

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." John 14:18 NIV Are you ready to BE the Hands and Feet of Jesus?

 

We're Still Here

And yes, by here I do mean K... er the City That Must Not be Named. Liza and I are still here due to mine and Rick's USCIS fingerprints expiring on October 15th. I thought they were good for 18 months but it seems I was wrong, they are only good for 15 months. It's the I171H that is good for 18 months. Aye yi yi..... how are we supposed to keep track of all this paperwork and what expires when?! Ugh....

So anyway, Sweet Liza and I are here until the results of the prints come back from the US. I don't know where they are going cause they went to DC according to DHL's tracking that the Embassy so graciously gave me but I was told they needed to go to New Hampshire. Ok then! Oh well, at least they are in the US and the results will be electronically sent back here to the CTMNBN. The young lady that took our prints on a paper card said they were not permitted to take them electronically but they could get the results electronically. Don't ask me, I have given up trying to understand why they do things the way they do - that goes for the US Gov't and the folks here in the CTMNBN.

Now to lighten the mood around here. Here's proof that our little Princess really is enjoying her time outside of the Baby house.


On one of our first days back in the City we went to a couple Historic sites. This one was part of a memorial to those who died in a famine in the early 1930's.



A beautiful OLD church at a place called The Lavres. I love how they have history that stretches back to the Thousands of years.



"Papa" and Liza strollin' along. It's a little blurry but see how she's got her hand up to her ear? He had been on the phone right before this and she was copying him. So cute!



Isn't she beautiful? Just enjoying some freedom on the City Square.



There was a fountain here, and she loved watching the water. I love watching her take in all these new sights!



Playing in the street with Daddy. There was a musician playing and she wanted to go right up to him so she could listen. They close down this one street on Saturdays and it's the only time it's actually safe to be a pedestrian in the road.. LOL



Watching football with Dad on Sunday afternoon.

For the most part we are doing ok. I do really want to go home, but I think the time for her and I to bond one on one will be good for us in the long run. Growing up in an orphanage she saw many women come and go from her life so it was so much easier for her to attach to Rick and just see me as another caregiver. We have come a long way since leaving her Baby house, but I know she still needs to realize that she truly can trust me to be there for her FOREVER. Progress is being made and I love her like mad. She is the sweetest little thing on this earth, at least in my eyes :)