The Sanchez Six

Our Littlest Schoolgirl

2012-02-28T17:04:00.001-08:00

Guess who had her first day of preschool today? Oh my goodness, was it ever sweet! She was THRILLED to go to school today. Complete excitement, joy and happiness. Not one ounce of fear!

Her teacher said it was as if she had been going to school for years and that she was the hit of the class today singing and dancing. She did fabulous and I cannot wait to see her BLOOM!

I can never catch this girl smiling on the camera these days!!!! But rest assured, she was BEAMING! We are so proud of you little Soft Spot!

365:Oops!

2012-02-24T22:38:00.000-08:00

Well, I failed at my one and only new year's resolution! But this might explain things...we've been kinda BUSY!!!

First there was a little boy who turned SEVEN!

Then there was a little boy who turned FOUR! (and was SUPER sick on his birthday...SO sad!)

And then there was a little girl who turned THREE!

Needless to say, HAPPY BIRTHDAY is our favorite song these days!

365:8

2012-01-08T12:57:00.000-08:00

Sofia and Joaquin in custom Waldorf doll form!

365:7

2012-01-07T17:18:00.000-08:00

Cousins! (Jillian age 5, Jolie age 3, Mateo age 6, Diego age 8)

365:6

2012-01-06T15:49:00.000-08:00

HAPPINESS

365:5

2012-01-05T08:40:00.000-08:00

"What? You wanted me to use the spoon?" Joaquin age 3

365:4

2012-01-04T10:12:00.000-08:00

Rocco age 12 weeks

365:3

2012-01-03T19:06:00.000-08:00

Sofia age 2

365:2

2012-01-02T12:17:00.000-08:00

The Sanchez Six at Bishop's Farm

365:1 A Challenge for 2012

2012-01-01T20:39:00.000-08:00

2011 was a wonderful year but OH SO BUSY. So many wonderful things happened this past year and I had very little time to reflect and share on this blog. I've decided to challenge myself this new year and try and document each day with one photo per day for the ENTIRE year. So, to start it off right, I should post our most recent family photo. Cheers to 2012! HAPPY NEW YEAR and may everyone be blessed this year with health, happiness and good fortune! xo

The Sanchez Six at Bishop's Farm

A Day at Bishop's Pumpkin Farm

2011-09-29T22:47:00.000-07:00

It might be time to update our blog header with a new family photo! Check out a few of the lovely photos from Memories by Michelle. Thank you Michelle McDaid for capturing the spirit of our family...we certainly are a "wacky" group and we had a lot of fun with you on that lovely 95 degree "fall" day!!!

Check out our photos here!

Wordless Wednesday...The Men in My Life

2011-08-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

Just a Small Rant...

2011-08-24T05:56:00.000-07:00

...About Prenatal Testing and Eliminating Imperfection

Not everything can be detected in an AFP, a CVS, an ultrasound or an amniocentesis. As far as I know, those tests will not determine if your child will have mental illness, heart disease, obesity, cancer, diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, autism and the list goes on. Or do we have tests for these things in the works? Shudder...Those tests can't tell you if your child will be happy or a contributing member to society. They can't tell you if your child will grow up to be a criminal, a serial killer, a child molester or a rapist. They can't tell you if your child will grow up to be bully or a thief. They can't tell you if your child will have motivation or drive or end up being homeless. These tests won't tell you if your child will stand out, or be homosexual, or have a learning disability or be an outcast because he or she is too tall, too short, too skinny, too fat, too pretty, too ugly, too blond, too dark or too anything. I certainly know that the prenatal tests will never tell you if your child will be in a car accident or a near drowning or take a bad fall or have a birth trauma. There is NO SUCH THING as a perfect child and having those tests to rule out the forbidden DOWN SYNDROME or any other detectable birth "defect" doesn't guarantee that you will have that unattainable picture perfect human being. I'm sensitive now, more than ever, to this obsession over early detection for the purposes of eliminating "imperfect" unborn children. There is a push to eliminate children like Joaquin and Sofia. I wish people would understand that "disability" is actually very natural and it's everywhere. People come in all shapes and forms and abilities. I find it impossible to find anyone in the world that doesn't suffer from some sort of challenge or "disability". Wear glasses? Ever had braces? On a diet? Have a bad back? Ever need surgery? Need coffee in the morning? Ever had a headache? Ever need help with anything? Would you say you are perfect? Would you say you are totally healthy? My bet is each and everyone of us has some challenge or special need that they deal with regularly.

I guess this is my way of saying (and this is ONLY MY OPINION) that I don't think anyone should enter parenthood unless they understand that you take on ALL SORTS of risks, trials and tribulations, heartaches, and disappointments when it comes to having a child and you are signing up for the JOURNEY. Wherever it may take you. It's a huge responsibility. And it's a privilege. So if you aren't up for the challenge, don't have a child. To the medical industry: Let's get off this slippery slope of prenatal testing. Let's be mindful of the direction we are headed. Let's not pretend the testing is to have more "information" or to "prepare". If that were the case, I wouldn't be ranting right now. The abortion rate after a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome is staggering. 92% of babies who are prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome are eliminated. That sentence alone says it all.

OK...rant is over.

On to something inspiring, amazing and beautiful. Thank goodness for that.

A link to a beautiful video:
Wonderful Works

A link to the beautiful new ministry launched today:
Wonderful Works

First Day of School Jitters...for the Mama!

2011-08-17T22:11:00.000-07:00

Joaquin has his first official day of full inclusion preschool tomorrow morning at 8:30am and I'm a nervous wreck. We have been looking forward to this day since he turned 3 in February. This is what we have always wanted for him...to have the same preschool experience that any typical child would have. The same that his brothers had at this age. Joaquin is social, easy going, very flexible, enjoys learning and loves people so why am I nervous?

Well, I wasn't nervous until I went to the "meet the teacher" day on Tuesday. I was greeted warmly by the teachers and everyone was very excited to see Joaquin. The teachers (all 3 of them) said they have been looking forward to Joaquin attending the preschool. I picked up the preschool newsletter and the calendar of activities planned and made sure that Joaquin would be on the roster and we happily went home. I eagerly sat down to read through all the paperwork, so thrilled for Joaquin, and then it hit me. I read that one of the first activities next week is to bring in a photograph of your family to share with the class. Oh my gosh. How is Joaquin going to share with the class? He can't talk. It hit me. I mean sure, he can identify each of us in the photograph with prompting and I'm sure he will smile and point at his family members but that's about it. Typical three year olds talk. Some talk A LOT. But I'm certain every child in that room will be able to talk about their family. Joaquin won't. I get teary eyed just thinking about it.

I know I'm doing the right thing. I know Joaquin will learn best from his typical peers and he will learn best to TALK from his typical talkative peers. But it's still hard and it hits you.

Deep breaths as we cross this bridge into new territory. Typical peers. Peers where the difference in abilities will be VERY evident. Painful at times. But it's the best for Joaquin because this is REAL life. Not the safety bubble that special ed provides. Special Ed has a place and a time but I see now how easy it would be to crawl back to the safety net of it. BRAVE. Must be brave. Joaquin deserves this opportunity and I'm certain he will handle it WAY better than I will. Deep breaths.

Things That Make You Go "Hmmmmm"

2011-08-17T21:27:00.000-07:00

We're not sure who is to blame here but we got a new piece of furniture and not 10 minutes after the delivery guys left I turned around and saw this...

Yes, that is Sofia inside a glass cabinet. She was all giggles and smiles and Joaquin was one foot away from it...hmmmmmm...

The Healing Smile

2011-07-26T13:29:00.000-07:00

A post from Hector:

This morning when I woke up I went to check my email and there was a message from a comment posted on Sofia's old blog. It brought tears to my eyes, it read:

hello, my name is Michelle and I saw you (Jen) today at the twelve bridges park. I was having a hard day thinking of my miscarriage and how I would be having the baby any day if nothing had happened. Your little joaquin looked at me and gave me a beautiful smile that just melted my heart. I heard you call out Sofia's name and something rang a bell. I thought maybe I had read an article about you guys on kidaround. I went home and looked you up! How amazing that little Sofia is now with you guys! You guys were a ray of sunshine in my sad day. I know God sent you guys to that park today, and He showed his love to me through your angels!

Every day when I wake up in the morning or I get back from work at night, Joaquin's smile melts my heart as well. He has that effect on people, he demands hugs from mostly everyone known or unknown. I still hold my breath for a second or two when it happens with strangers, and every time his smile wins, and he will not let anyone off the hook that easy. Moms will want to hold him until he's had enough, dads will do it for a minute or two and then as they try to put him down he will hold on for a little bit more. He needs to rub his hands on their cheeks and feel the prickly beard on the back of his little hands. And most of the time they give in to his request to be held and enjoy this little baby bear cub embrace. And I have to tell you, it is the most wonderful embrace you've ever known.

Some of you know about the GQ fiasco that happened recently. I did my part and sent a letter to the editor expressing my opinion and telling him I won't be patronizing his magazine anymore unless they made things right. I've been a subscriber for many years and I asked them to issue a public apology and write an article or have special coverage on Down syndrome. How about Joaquin on the cover? I understand that as part of the Down syndrome community I am constantly on edge about insensitive remarks and the use of the "R" word, but my outrage about what was printed goes beyond sensitivity. It was probably the worst insult I've ever heard. It would take me a thousand pages to describe how wrong it was, but I'm over it. It is obvious that the guy who wrote it has never known someone with Down syndrome. Or perhaps he is plain and simple an insensitive asshole.

Joaquin and Sofia's story along with all the beautiful children of The Sisterhood and the many more we are blessed to know are changing lives one smile at a time.

And now some eye candy...

I Hope You Dance

2011-07-12T14:25:00.000-07:00

Here is Sofia with my dad, her Grandpa, at my brother's wedding this weekend. All our kids ADORE music and dancing so we love a good wedding!

Weddings always remind me of what is most important in this life. To love and embrace life...to dance. Life is so busy right now and hectic and stressful. Raising four kids (all under the age of 8) is a lot of work but I'm not complaining. We feel so blessed. We have four healthy and happy kids and we will never take that for granted.

Rub a dub dub...

2011-07-03T20:26:00.000-07:00

...three boys in a tub!

Summer Buzz Time

2011-06-27T17:53:00.000-07:00

Every summer I BUZZ the boys...it's so hot in Sacramento and I secretly wish I could do the same with my own hair. We even got Diego and Mateo's best buddy Chandler in on the action!

Best of all, check out Joaquin's straight eyes. The surgery was a success with only some residual "outward" turning of his right eye when he is tired which should correct itself in time. That eye was probably overcorrected during surgery but it's minor at this point. His vision remains excellent so no need for glasses. It was interesting that Dr. O'Hara relayed to me during our post op appointment that they have done psychological research on how people perceive eyes. When people see a strabismus (cross eyes or a turning in of the eyes), people immediately assume the individual is not smart...in fact she used the word "dumb". For eyes that turn outward or are straight, that assumption is not made. Interesting? Anyway, this is sometimes why people push for the surgery to straighten the eyes. This wasn't our primary reason for doing the surgery. Our primary reason was based on Dr. O'Hara's recommendation that Joaquin was a good candidate and that he could have improved depth perception. But I will admit that the secondary reason for having it done was for social acceptance and cosmetic reasons. Whatever the reason, the surgery worked and Joaquin recovered beautifully and we have no regrets.

Annual Checkup!

2011-06-14T17:28:00.000-07:00

It was time for our annual check-up and we are happy to report that we are growing and thriving! Only 3 pounds separates the two of us (despite being almost exactly one year apart!) so we are often mistaken for twins. We LOVE each other so very much and get into constant trouble around the house! Thank goodness one of us is in school almost every day otherwise mama would be going crazy by now chasing and cleaning up after the two of us.

Mama says she PROMISES to be better about posting! Life sure is busy with 4 rambunctious and very busy kiddos! Having three boys ages 8, 6 and 3 is a handful and add one feisty 2 year old princess and well...we have a FULL house.

Check back in again soon! So many new things going on with the Sanchez Six (yes...mama and papa round us out to 6 silly Sanchez family members!)

So Far So Good!

2011-04-11T20:32:00.000-07:00

Here is Joaquin moments before surgery. He was in SUCH a good mood and as charming as ever. FULL of grins and giggles. Surgery went smooth and quick. Both eyes were done and now we let it heal and wait and see how successful it was. They sent him home without any special medication and no patches or guards so I'm a nervous wreck about it. The only precaution is for 2 weeks we need to keep him away from playground sand and putting his head underwater. His eyes are really swollen, sensitive and totally red. I can barely look at his eyes without it totally hurting me and making my stomach turn. We know that this was a procedure totally recommended by his doctor/eye surgeon and that there are many benefits to doing it but there is a teeny tiny part of me that feels like I am messing with my boy and his beautiful eyes. They are one of my most favorite things about him. His beautiful eyes are the windows to his soul and I just don't want to do anything to hurt him or those precious peepers. I can't tell yet if the surgery worked. They look pretty good but it's really deceiving with all the red on the eye. We will know in 6 weeks. We have a quick post op appointment tomorrow morning and then in six weeks we go back to evaluate the results.

Thank you everyone in blogging land, text, facebook, phone and in person for being so supportive. We love you all. Now back to snuggling my boy and helping him heal!

Eye Surgery on Monday

2011-04-08T14:56:00.000-07:00

Joaquin is scheduled to have eye surgery on Monday and check in is at 6:15am at UC Davis Medical Center. We are hoping and praying that the surgery to correct his strabismus is successful and that he has no complications and that this will be the only surgery for his eyes that he'll ever need.

We welcome prayers and good thoughts leading up to the surgery and on the day of surgery! We hope he heals quickly and that his eyes are straight therefore giving him better depth perception. We have every confidence in his eye doctor/surgeon. It is an outpatient procedure and he will be able to participate immediately in all his activities except for playgrounds with sand and underwater activities for 2 weeks.

PRAYING all goes well!

Bring Kirill HOME!

2011-04-04T21:25:00.000-07:00

Be a part of something BIG....be a part of HISTORY!

BRING KIRILL HOME!

Happy World Down Syndrome Day! 3-21-11

2011-03-20T19:44:00.000-07:00

All these beautiful children I am happy to know and love...the babes of the Sacramento Area Sisterhood. This is a preview to a DSIA 2012 Calendar fundraiser and photos were taken by the talented team at Benton Photography. Enjoy!

Celebrate that special extra chromosome!

Bee-utiful!

2011-03-08T21:00:00.000-08:00

Photo taken by my friend and photographer Michelle Marrone

My Favorite Face

2011-03-08T20:56:00.000-08:00

Photo taken by Michelle Marrone (dear friend and photographer)

This face and this smile makes my world. This is Joaquin in his true form...giving love. Oh how blessed we are to have him in our lives.

Our Little School Boy

2011-03-08T20:24:00.000-08:00

Joaquin has been in preschool now for a little less than a month and I thought I would share an update. He is THRIVING in school and I don't know if it's his age now or his going to school or what it is but he is soaking up the world around him. He is obsessed with letters, numbers, picture cards, manipulative puzzles, throwing/catching/kicking balls, and anything musical.

He will recite the ABC's on his own with very little to no prompting. He grabs magnetic letters off the fridge and 8 out of 10 times he accurately identifies the letter. He wants to count things all the time. He LOVES books and asks to read books more than any other activity. He is using scissors on his own. He is potty training. He is exploding with his language. He is so HAPPY.

He now asks for the bus when he wakes up and wants to put his backpack on and get out the door to wait for the big yellow school bus. He gets on and just SMILES now. He loves it. We blow kisses to each other and it's the cutest, sweetest goodbye I have ever experienced with any of my children.

I have no doubt that this is the absolute BEST thing for Joaquin. I'm so grateful for our school system and for the teachers and for the therapists, friends, and family that have helped prepare Joaquin for this next BIG step in his growth and development and independence.

I found out today that he is starting OT and PT at school every week in addition to the ST he gets twice a week and all of these therapies will be "pushed in" to the classroom setting. Our team would like to do another IEP in May to prepare and revise his plan for the Fall. Joaquin will be starting full immersion preschool this Fall with all the other incoming neighborhood 3 year olds two days a week at our home school down the street. On the other days, he will continue to take the bus to attend his Special Day Program where he will receive all his intensive therapies to continue to help him thrive in "typical" preschool. So all in all, I feel like I've hit the lottery with this team of teachers and therapists and professionals. They care....they really truly care and love my child. We are so blessed. I'm going to stay positive and believe that there is every chance that our experience will continue to be positive. I know it's a long and difficult and challenging road ahead but I feel like we've got a terrific start!

iPad Giveaway

2011-02-25T07:51:00.000-08:00

Please enter this drawing for a new iPad and help bring Sofia's newest little friend home! Lydiah is being adopted by a local family who just brought home John David from Ukraine last Fall. They fell in love with Lydiah while visiting JD at the orphanage and now they are going back to get her and bring her home. This family is AMAZING and deserves our support! PLUS...you have a great chance at winning this HOT new gadget! We LOVE our iPad and there are so many useful applications for adults, kids and even babies :)!
Love for Little Lydiah

Turning Two!!

2011-02-22T12:59:00.000-08:00

Sofia turned 2 yesterday and we celebrated with a tea party for all her friends. Everyone was asked to come dressed in their party dresses and ties!

It was a beautiful celebration and we had so much fun. The pictures say it all. Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Sofia! We love you and can't imagine life without our little girl.

The Wheels on the Bus

2011-02-08T13:32:00.000-08:00

And he's off...to preschool. Oh my goodness, a mixture of emotions bottled up inside. Pride, excitement, hope, joy, nervousness, sadness, fear. All of them at once bubbling up to the surface. Proud of my big boy. Excited for this next new step. Hope for a wonderful first experience with school. Joy at seeing his smiling face. Nervous about letting go. Sad seeing him get worried. Fear for all the unknowns.

We talked all morning about the bus and sang one of his favorite songs "The Wheels on the Bus". We got his backpack ready with some pull ups and wipes. We got a nice big brunch inside his belly and got dressed for the morning. The bus arrived promptly at 11:00 and as the wheels went round and round toward us Joaquin yelled out "BUS!" My voiced cracked a bit and tears welled up inside my eyes but I kept it together. I think it helped that I had to rush to pick up Mateo at 11:10 from Kindergarten and had Sofia to take care at the same time so those things served as great distractions.

Hector followed the school bus to pick up two other preschoolers and then followed the bus the 1.5 miles to Joaquin's school (he felt like a stalker!) I was able to get there in time to see Joaquin being walked to class with one of the main teachers Miss Kelly (who is a DOLL!!!) and she had plenty of hugs and snuggles to give him when they greeted. It was only when he saw me that he gave us his sad face so it was then that I realized I needed to let go and let him grow from this experience without me distracting him.

I pick him up at 2:20pm so we'll see how it went. We decided not to go into class with him because everytime Joaquin saw us he got a little sad. PRAYING he has fun today and that he enjoys school and that the classmates and teachers love him as much as we do.

I'll try to upload the video of him getting on the bus later! SUPER windy day here today. He almost blew over a few times with the backpack on his back! My teeny tiny sprite.

THREE!!!

2011-02-07T21:18:00.000-08:00

I'm THREE now and I'm starting preschool tomorrow. A yellow schoolbus is going to pick me up and I'm going to take my backpack and spend three hours away from home with my new school family. I really have no idea what to expect but I know my mom and dad are really excited and a little nervous too!

Here are some pictures of me on my third birthday last week! I had so much fun but in the middle of the party I came down with a big fever and didn't feel very well. It was still so much fun spending my birthday at a gymnastics center with 31 of my buddies!

I'm a BIG boy now! Watch me grow and learn and soar! The sky is the limit for me!

Sweet Sofia

2011-02-06T23:21:00.000-08:00

Picture captured by the amazing Penny Sylvia for DSIA.

There is nothing sweeter than Sofia's face!

Quick update on our wonder girl! She is pulling up to stand on EVERYTHING and climbing onto things as well (as evidenced by her constant bumps and bruises). She is a COPY CAT...she will literally do whatever anyone else is doing. She is constantly using new signs and can very clearly say banana (nanana), mama, papa, nana, ball (baa), tickle (ticka) and many more words. She can blow into a recorder (brand new skill learned today!) and she drinks only from a straw now. She is cruising on furniture and in her crib and will push a shopping cart or walker toy and walk around. She has absolutely perfected her creep on hands and knees and is FAST. She dances and loves bathtime. She throws a ball and explores her whole house. She and Joaquin ADORE each other, give kisses, pats on the back and get into laughing matches in the car. Sofia's big brothers adore her and want her around them all the time, they fight over her often. She is very much in love with her mama, papa and nana. She is sassy and when she's done with something she is DONE. She has perfected her coy head tilt when she wants to be cute. She LOVES to eat and DO NOT get in her way. The only time she is truly angry is whenever food is taken away or not coming fast enough! She sleeps through the night and never makes a peep and likes to nap twice a day or one long nap but is totally flexible about this. She loves her bed and her room all to herself. All in all she is doing incredible and we continue to bond with her a little more every single day.

My friend and fellow blogger Bethany just wrote an amazing post on her blog "Our Perfectly Imperfect Life" about the rewards of special needs adoption. She speaks from her heart and really paints an accurate picture of the bonding process when adopting a child. Read it here.

Baby Steps

2011-01-21T22:30:00.000-08:00

Look who is taking some assisted steps! Sofia did this all on her own, without my prompting. I just turned around at our sweet friend Kassi's birthday party and there she was shopping with her cart crusing across the floor. Amazing!

Increasing Awareness...Powerful Stuff Here

2011-01-14T14:01:00.000-08:00

Tears are still in my eyes watching and listening to this awareness video done by Kelle Hampton.

Check it out HERE!

You'll see a little clip of both my sweet angels! Rock on Nella!!!

IEP Date is Set...Preschool Here We Come!

2011-01-13T18:53:00.000-08:00

Our IEP (Individualized Education Plan/Program)date is set and we are getting ready for it! February 1st at 9AM...the day before Joaquin turns 3!!! Way to cut it close!

We have visited the program we were most interested in and that has been recommended for him by the school district and it looks like a perfect fit right now. It's a special day program preschool that is therapy intensive and has teacher/student ratio or 1:2 right now! He will go 4 days a week for about 3 hours. They work on EVERYTHING from numbers, letters, phonics, speech, feeding self, potty training, fine motor, gross motor, socialization, handwriting without tears, colors, routines, EVERYTHING! They also spend a little time each day with the full inclusion preschool to observe and practice in that environment. The head teacher is AMAZING and ADORABLE...two prerequisites that all preschool teachers I think should have and it helps that she is young, energetic, motivated and highly educated. She has her teaching credential, early childhood education degree and a masters in special education. She runs the program with a great speech and language pathologist and then there is one more teacher's aid in the class. They will work on sensory issues, OT, PT, ST and some oral motor work. He may even take the BUS to and from preschool! WOW!

We have yet to see what more they may offer us and we do plan on asking for a few other things and we will continue to pay for private music therapy but I'm just thrilled with this next step! It's also perfect because we are starting mid-school year so we can reevaluate when the fall comes and see if he is ready for a few days in the full inclusion preschool next door. Joaquin has a few years of preschool ahead so we will work towards a goal of getting into a 5 day a week full inclusion preschool before Kindergarten!

Here is a short video of our littlest boy. And when I say little I mean tiny. VERY petite little boy. His sister is going to pass him up pretty soon!

Joaquin Being Cute!

I gave him a pre-birthday haircut today (all by myself!) so he'll be all set for preschool in February! He is such a sweet and funny little boy. He truly is the sunshine in our family!

Reece's Rainbow LIVE Interview!!!

2011-01-11T17:18:00.000-08:00

Live Interview about Sofia & John David & Reece's Rainbow!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-08T01:20:00.000-08:00

And what a year it has been!

Please consider visiting Kelle's blog at Enjoying the Small Things and see our little Miss Sofia and her brother Joaquin as one of the MANY beautiful faces of Down syndrome.

Let's start the new year giving back...and in return giving a better future for all children blessed with a little extra chromosome and those GORGEOUS almond eyes.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-26T22:27:00.000-08:00

Our REAL LIVE angel under our Christmas tree! She was ALL smiles this Christmas...her FIRST Christmas with her forever family. We are so lucky to have her. She is PURE joy!

Three Boys = TROUBLE!

2010-12-15T17:14:00.000-08:00

One Year Ago Today...

2010-12-13T07:53:00.000-08:00

One year ago today, my grandmother passed away peacefully. We miss you dearly Grandma.

One year ago today, I stumbled across Reece's Rainbow's Angel Tree fundraiser and decided to make a donation in my Grandma's memory.

One year ago today, I caught a glimpse of a little baby girl named Sofia (2) who had Down syndrome and a face that permanently touched my heart.

One year ago today, a seed was planted.

One year LATER, we are the Sanchez Six and we can't imagine life without our daughter. She completes us! What a difference a year makes.

SO Much To Share

2010-12-09T22:51:00.000-08:00

But so little time these days....I promise to do a proper update VERY soon.

So for now...here is our little sweetie! This symbolizes her new life. She's a kid in a candy store! Loving every moment of it.

Eye Update

2010-12-09T22:11:00.000-08:00

We saw Joaquin's eye doctor again last week and received some good news. The patching of his "good" eye is working and she doesn't think he'll need eye surgery after all! WOW! Took me by surprise because she seemed to think it was the ONLY solution for so long.

She said his eyes are straightening on their own and that we should continue to patch his dominant eye 3 hours a day and then do a full eye evaluation in 3 months to see if maybe he needs glasses now.

So we will continue to monitor it closely and patch daily to help our little guy. It would be WONDERFUL not to do the surgery and to be able to fix it somewhat more naturally!

Trick or Treat?

2010-11-05T07:32:00.000-07:00

Sofia's first Halloween was celebrated all day long with a baby Halloween party in the morning and hanging out with Nana and Grandpa Halloween night while her big brothers went trick or treating in the neighborhood!

Lots more pictures to come soon! There was a professional photographer (and dear friend) at our baby party so I'll be sure to share those when we get them. Can't wait!

Sofia was a super diva...complete with outfit changes! She was a bee and a ladybug...couldn't waste those adorable costumes.

For a post on our evening activities complete with pictures, go to Joaquin's blog here!

Her First Halloween!!!

2010-10-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

What to "bee" for Halloween????? Our "cute as a bug" girl has to make up for some lost time with Halloween costumes!

So...how does one pick?!? Maybe we need a POLL! Let us know your favorite!

God Works in AMAZING Ways...

2010-10-23T11:24:00.000-07:00

My new friends Mark and Hansina are currently in Ukraine adopting their new son Liam. This is a local family to us that decided to adopt a child from Reece's Rainbow as a result of our journey to save Sofia. This is a beautiful family that does not have a child with DS but decided that they would love to adopt a child with DS...I find this absolutely amazing and so incredibly wonderful!

Liam and his new Big Sister Madison

Hansina contacted me earlier this week with some fears and concerns about little baby Liam's health. Since she is not familiar with having a child with DS, I can imagine how scary it must have been to meet him and hear that he has some health issues. Adopting a child oversees can be scary enough let alone a child who comes with a set of "issues." God knows Hector and I were scared, knowing very well what we were getting into with adopting Sofia, and we were almost paralyzed by the fear after the long travel, stress of being in a foreign country and having absolutely NO CONTROL over any of the process of the adoption. It would have been so easy for us to turn around and run home.

So, when Hansina contacted me with her fears, I felt extremely obligated to help ease her mind and offer her the support and care that I could thousands of miles away and through email. One of the health concerns that Liam has is cataracts in both eyes. Sounded scary to me. I don't know anything about it. I don't know any child with DS (or otherwise) who has cataracts and I simply did not know what to tell her. I did get her the names of two excellent eye doctors in town and thought this might be the only thing I could do. I was so anxious about it and couldn't stop thinking about her and Liam.

Well...God had different plans. Last week, just two days after getting Hansina's email about Liam, I had a follow up appointment with our eye doctor for Sofia's tear duct surgery. While in the waiting room, I saw the most beautiful, active, curious and lovable little boy with DS. He was about 3 1/2 years old and was just a joy to watch. His eyes looked perfect and gorgeous and I wondered why he was at the opthomologist's office. I felt something move me to initiate a conversation with the mom and dad (and got a sweet hug from their boy as a result) and I asked them why they were at the office. I'm not usually so bold or "nosey" but again I just felt moved to ask them. I was so curious.

Lo and behold, the mom told me that they were there for their son's follow up appointment. He had double cataract surgery a month ago. She went on to tell me that the surgery was very simple. The healing was quick and their son can see perfectly. WOW. WOW. WOW. I got chills. I had exactly what I needed to tell Hensina. Thank you God!

God works in mysterious ways but I'm beginning to think that He knows EXACTLY what He is doing.

Four Kids on a Swing

2010-10-10T11:29:00.000-07:00

The Sanchez kiddos at the park on the same swing set! Can you spot Sofia?

Saturday at the Park

2010-10-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

All four of our kiddos on the swing set at our neighborhood park!

San Francisco Bay Area Dandelion Parent Feature Article

2010-10-04T16:27:00.000-07:00

Reece's Rainbow and our story are featured in the latest Bay Area Edition of Dandelion Parent Magazine. SO exciting to see our story and stories like ours covered in magazines to spread the word. Check it out here! Our story is on page 16 & 17.

Showering Sofia

2010-09-29T21:43:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, my "best" girlfriends threw a very intimate and beautiful shower for Sofia. It was a lovely afternoon and Sofia was a little movie star! She lights up a room when she enters it. The cool crisp mimosas were delicious on this warm September day and the company was perfect. Thank you Michelle and Katie and all our guests for honoring our little birdie and showering her with love.

Wordless Wednesday...Big Boys

2010-09-29T14:16:00.000-07:00

Birthday Bubbles & Music

2010-09-29T14:14:00.000-07:00

Here is Sofia at her buddy Sheridan's birthday party last month. She LOVES music and people and birthdays and bubbles and she has a sense of wonder about EVERYTHING. And then I remember it's because EVERYTHING is new to her!

Those Eyes...Again!

2010-09-28T09:15:00.000-07:00

So....I'm needing my blogging family and friends to help me out a bit. Am I being overly sensitive? I think so...

I've noticed lately that I'm a bit more sensitive when people strike a "funny" face for photos and more often than not people love to cross their eyes and stick out their tongue to make this face. I realize lately that the face is somewhat the face of a person with Down syndrome or any other brain injured person. Joaquin obviously has a strabismus so his eyes are crossed most of the time and occasionally his tongue rests on his lower lip when he is overly tired or relaxed.

I realize people...adults and children...mean absolutely no harm in making this face but when I see the crossed eyes I just cringe a tiny bit thinking they are making fun of themselves and looking "silly" or "dumb" but they are doing this by making their face resemble the face of someone with a strabismus. Do you think this goes back to the whole "retard" thing....looking and acting "retarded" to poke fun at oneself.

Just a random thought for the day. Silly I know but just sharing some of the thoughts that I have. It's not like I expect people to stop crossing their eyes when they make a face for the camera or for fun, it's not that. It's just I wonder where that ever came from or started from. I've grown to love and adore my boy's little crossed eyes but yes, we will be doing the surgery to straighten them later this year and we'll see how successful the surgery is for cosmetic and medical reasons. Will having straight eyes help Joaquin to be more mainstreamed and less made fun of in the future? I don't know. Will it help people see beyond his disability if he doesn't "appear" to have DS or doesn't have the strabismus? I don't know. Does it bother me? I don't know. Will this bother Joaquin someday? I don't know.

I think I'm just having one of those overly sensitive days. I'll get over it...

Can I Have One?

2010-09-22T22:08:00.000-07:00

Me & My Brother

2010-09-22T22:05:00.000-07:00

Sasha HAS A Family-UPDATED!!!!

2010-09-22T07:38:00.000-07:00

HIS FAMILY FOUND HIM!

Follow his journey home here! CONGRATS to the Hagler family! You are about to win the adoption lottery jackpot of love and cuteness with Sasha :)!

Tears Are Flowing...It's a Good Thing!

2010-09-20T21:24:00.000-07:00

Little Miss Sofia had her tear duct surgery today and all went well. The doctor was able to probe both ducts and balloon one side but not the other but they feel that surgery was successful and that all should be flowing well now!

She charmed all the nurses and doctors in the children's surgery center and did really well during the surgery and coming out of anesthesia. She seemed to recover quickly in the morning but had a little relapse in the afternoon with some vomiting of fluids. She was more cranky than she's ever been today as well, poor little girl. Hopefully tomorrow she will feel like herself again.

Thank goodness for our healthy girl. And if she should need to cry (and we hope that she doesn't too often), she can now cry with tears and all!

Down Syndrome in the Movies!

2010-09-16T08:17:00.000-07:00

The opportunities and possibilities for people with Down syndrome continue to increase. Here is an article and movie trailer where Evan Sneider, an actor who has DS, is one of the main characters. It looks like it's an intense drama, looking forward to seeing it!

Girlfriend

The Ripple in the Pond Continues...

2010-09-04T18:23:00.000-07:00

...and another little girl's life is going to be saved.

Embracing Life's Journey

Tropical Storm Joaquin

2010-09-04T18:00:00.000-07:00

Joaquin is like a walking hurricane these days...into everything. He is so BUSY and so CURIOUS and so full of MISCHIEF! I've been trying so hard to keep up with our house (since we are still trying to sell it!) and every time I clean up one room, I go into the next and it's like a tornado hit. It happens all. day. long.

He is so inquisitive and wants to explore every inch of his environment and that's wonderful...it's just impossible to keep up with him!

Here he is getting caught in the act of something...

Before & After

2010-09-02T20:37:00.000-07:00

We are a few weeks shy of having Sofia home with us now for three months and I can't get over how much she has transformed. She is such a happy and healthy little baby. We love her more and more each day and she is becoming more and more our little girl. The boys continue to love on her and play with her (Joaquin sometimes a bit too much...as evidenced by a few love "bites") but all in all she fits in so perfectly with our family. Look how far she's come!

Before...bruised, pale, chapped skin.

After...clear, soft, illuminated skin.

Before...nothing to call her own, dressed in layers of clothing, not able to feel her own body.

After...a closet full of lovely clothes especially given to her or handed down to her, dressed like the princess that she is.

Before...very little tone, poor coloring, overfed and no variety of foods for her body.

After...brighter skin, more alert, better tone, proper body weight.

Before...all alone, no friends, no family.

After...lots of friends and a big family.

Before...sad and sorrowful eyes.

After...eyes full of wonder!

Before...stuck indoors almost all her life.

After...soaking up some California sunshine!

Before...a face without much hope.

After...a face filled with joy!

Before...a hidden beauty with lots of love just waiting for someone to share it with.

After...a glowing, radiant beam of light! Photo taken today at the opthamologist's office.

On the MOVE!

2010-08-22T20:08:00.000-07:00

She's army crawling! She has been moving on her belly a little bit every day since coming home with us but I can officially say that she is now using belly crawling as a mode of transportation...to get from Point A to Point B...and we couldn't be more thrilled! She gets up on hands and knees a lot too and rocks or lunges. I also found her sitting up in her crib this morning...she got that way all by herself!!!

GO BABY GO!

DISNEYLAND!

2010-08-19T21:48:00.000-07:00

We celebrated many things with a recent trip to Disneyland and one of the BIG reasons was Sofia's homecoming! And what better way to be introduced to the USA but by going to DISNEY!

I wrote a bit more about our trip on Joaquin's blog here and I'm sad to say we don't have many more pictures. This one below, our bathing beauty, I took with my phone. We were just too busy having fun at the parks and meeting up with friends Lisa, Cheri and Denise (thank goodness they had their cameras!) and swimming at the hotel pool.

Sofia was incredible during this entire trip. Not one peep in the 8 hour car ride to LA and back and never once cried during our Disney experience (and we went two days in a row from opening to closing). In fact, I think we have a thrill seeker on our hands! We took her on the sliding car ferris wheel and everyone of us got freaked and a bit motion sick except for Sofia who was laughing out loud and flapping her arms in the air. Every single ride she just soaked in and observed. She waved at everyone and generally just enjoyed the whole experience. She's AMAZING!

Here's our favorite of the trip. Have I told you lately that Miss Sofia LOVES to eat...and she will eat anything! Check her out...all the boys are looking around at something going on and Sofia has her eye on Mateo's lollipop! That's my girl!

A Down Syndrome Disney

2010-08-17T10:29:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a quick celebration trip to Disneyland. We LOVE it there!

We have had the pleasure of going a couple times the last few years but about a little more than a year ago we took the boys (Joaquin's first trip to Disney) and we were so surprised not to see even one baby, child, teen or adult with DS our entire trip. And I was looking! I remember at the time wanting to see a familiar "face" at Disneyland.

I am happy to report that this trip was quite the opposite. So much so that by the end of the trip when we were in the lobby of our hotel and a teenage boy stopped to say hello and we saw that he too had DS, my mom and I were just laughing about it! We saw a few babies, several toddlers and kids, a TON of teenagers, and one adult woman with DS escorted by her niece. I also had the HUGE pleasure of meeting some of my SoCal sisters and blogging friends Denise, Cheri and Lisa and their amazing kiddos!

It seemed that everywhere we turned, we would see another family touched by DS. I was especially touched by one older teenage boy who was there with his family. I saw him kiss and hug his mom and grandma at least a dozen times in the 5-10 minutes I was watching them. I can totally see Joaquin being like this. He is SUCH a love bug. Then the other group that totally had us smiling was a group of about 5 teenage girls. They were there with their moms and the group of them have been friends since the girls were 2 years old and met through an Early Intervention program. They were celebrating their graduation from middle school and decided that Disneyland was the place to do that. The girls were a hoot and they loved Joaquin and Sofia. I had a great conversation with the moms too! In fact, two of the five girls were adopted by one of the moms. Amazing!

It was a LOVELY experience and so completely different from our last trip. This is how I imagined Disneyland to be...people from all backgrounds and abilities enjoying the happiest place on Earth!

By the way, Joaquin did great at Disney. His favorite by far was It's a Small World! He ADORED Mickey. Not at all afraid of him and was totally curious about his "nose", "eyes" and "ears"! Mickey spent a little extra time with our family which was really nice.

We LOVE Disneyland!

From A Sister

2010-08-11T23:01:00.000-07:00

This is from one of my "sisters" and I think she makes a beautiful statement about parenting a child... special needs or not. Here it is. Thank you Susan for explaining this so beautifully!

When a parent hears the news or finds out their child has a difficulty, there is always a grieving period of the loss of what they thought they had and hoped for their child. That can come at any time. Birth, childhood, teenage years, or adulthood. A difficult diagnosis, death, learned addictions, handicaps, different sexual preferences, whatever comes as a big surprise and possibly affects many of the hopes and dreams you have for your child as well as their quality of life, prosperity & longevity, and/or future generations takes time grieving and support while learning how to understand your part in helping the ones you love. We feel really grateful for this difficulty because we have learned so many wonderful lessons from our beautiful little girl who has Down syndrome. She radiates love and in reality it didn't take long at all to see it really isn't all that difficult or different, once we understood. The initial fear of the unknown scared us, but it wasn't hard to find hope. We have been seeing a whole new world of possibilities and have connected to amazing and inspiring children, people, families, professionals, and friends that have broaden our understanding and have instilled in life what matters most. It is such a blessing that such a small little child could open the doors to such a beautiful place that challenges us to want to be better. Who reminds me all the time what's most important in this life- people, especially those you love. All children can offer this gift because EVERY child has the potential to stretch and challenge a parent if you accept the invitation whenever they come, the key is to have faith, learn, love, laugh, and work incredibly hard to assist, mentor, and encourage & support the best out of each of them no matter what level that is and to CELEBRATE all the little miracles and wonderful achievements. Seeing our daughter work hard for everyday life without complaining, with consistent effort having great spirits about her task. Well it makes us appreciate and celebrate all the wonderful little things in life we take for granted. She has the potential to achieve pretty much everything we can with a special thanks to the opportunities in America and those who have gone before us and fought for our kids' rights and for all those who love and support and teach her now- like any other child receives. We are very lucky living in the day and age we do. These children are more alike than they are different. They have a special purpose to teach us "normal" people.

Saint Sophia of Thrace

2010-08-08T21:45:00.000-07:00

I was at my parents house this weekend and my dad and I got to talking about saints. We know that Diego, Mateo and Joaquin have a saint associated with them....the cities San Diego, San Mateo and San Joaquin were all named after saints. We wondered if there was a Saint Sophia (Sofia). We certainly don't have a city of Santa Sophia here in California so she must not be a big Latin American saint. But she certainly was somebody important since there is a giant Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, Ukraine. I knew that the actual name Sofia means "wisdom" and that Sofia is a beautiful name and one of my favorite girl names but I didn't know much more. My dad disappeared for awhile upstairs to his office and a few minutes later he came down with a copy of this.

Imagine my surprise when I read the title...St. Sophia...the Mother of Orphans! My dad and I chuckled...another little sign from God. Do any of you remember this entry? And if you've read my other blog Three's A Charm or read the book Gifts 2, you'll remember this story.

I did a little more research on Saint Sophia of Thrace. She even has a fan page on Facebook!

I found this lovely synopsis...

Sophia was born in modern-day Bulgaria, in eleventh-century Byzantium. She was known for her beauty and intelligence, and as wealth and high social standing were added to that, her life was set up for happiness. She had six children, and raised them with love.

Then, in her relative young age (her early thirties), a plague hit… and Sophia watched as her husband died, and then her children, one by one. She at first, overcome by grief, wished and prayed that she might die too. We can only imagine the depths to which such a blow would have taken her. Most of the hagiographies seem to pass over this point in relative silence, for obvious reasons. It is something indescribable, personal and somehow sacred.

Eventually, however, a new conviction was formed in her. Or rather, the divine spark in her manifested itself—being who she was, she could only truly respond to such tragedy with love. She made inquiries to local church leaders about how she could best distribute her wealth to the poor, although still keeping her house, which she transformed into a home for the unfortunate, the homeless, and, especially, the orphan. It seems that her love for children never waned after her loss, but instead seemed to grow—she legally adopted over 120 children (she did not only take care of them, love them, and raise them, but bestowed upon them legitimacy in a noble family and, therefore, unheard of opportunity for most abandoned orphans.) Like St. Juliana of Lazarevo, a Russian saint who lived centuries later, she often would go without food herself in order to meet the needs of anyone who came her way.

She became somewhat the equivalent of Mother Teresa for her day, a supreme example of a spiritual ideal. Mothers, caught up in their own troubles, could always compare themselves to Sophia and become truly humbled.

She received monastic tonsure shortly before her death, consciously giving up her life to God. She was fifty-three years old.

The one miracle which is associated with her is represented by the urn which she holds in the icon. She used it to serve wine to her children and guests, and it is said that no matter how many people were present, no matter how little wine there was available, the urn would always fill to the brim with “the best wine”—a second Cana of Galilee. And as with that first miracle of the incarnate God, it is a symbol of infinite giving, even complete self-emptying out of love. He who provided the wine would Himself become the wine of the eternal feast—in His own blood.

Sofia's Perfect Heart

2010-08-07T20:51:00.000-07:00

Sofia saw a cardiologist on Friday as we move down the list of specialists that we may or may not have to see on a regular basis. We had Sofia's heart checked out, and the ECHO and the EKG both showed that Sofia's heart is in perfect shape! Such a relief.

She was as charming as ever in the waiting room making friends, she babbled and smiled at the nurse doing her vitals and EKG and then again with the ECHO technician. The doctor was mesmerized as well by her sweet disposition.

Children with Down syndrome have a 40% chance of having heart issues and because it had been reported to us that Sofia had an open oval window we were concerned that she may fall into that percentage. Dr. Choy said Sofia beat the odds on that one. He said her heart is "perfectly normal" that she is "obviously thriving" and seems to be "very healthy." GREAT words to hear from a health professional.

Just a few more specialty appointments (ears and eyes) and we will be ready to move on with life as usual!

Here is Sofia on the exam table...such a doll baby!

A Special Connection

2010-08-05T21:51:00.000-07:00

Today we finally got to meet a very special group of girls and their moms at a water park in Folsom. These are the girls from a local bible study group that worked so hard to fundraise for Sofia earlier this year. It was a very special day and Sofia LOVED every one of them. We had a blast and I literally did not hold Sofia for 2 1/2 hours as she happily went to each and every person who wanted to hold her. She was adorable and so were these girls!

I was really blown away with the love, maturity and overall kindness of these sweet young ladies. I was in awe of them all. I can only imagine what this experience was like for them. To meet Sofia in the flesh and know that they had a part in bringing her home to us. I also wonder how it will touch their lives in the future and if this possibly planted the adoption seed in their hearts.

Here are a few pictures that were snapped by the girls! SO much fun! We can't wait to meet up with them again. I'm thinking that Sofia will have a special connection with this incredible group of girls for many years to come...I hope!

I'm BAAAAACK! Aaarrrgggghh!

2010-08-05T21:09:00.000-07:00

Here's our little pirate again! At least we are having fun with all the cool patch designs!

Sweet Dreams

2010-07-30T23:04:00.000-07:00

I just peeked in on Sofia tonight in her little crib and found her smiling in her sleep.

It made my evening.

Sweet dreams baby girl!

A Mini Update

2010-07-28T23:07:00.000-07:00

Life is SO incredibly busy. Having four children is SO incredibly hard. The days are long and full and busy and tiring and fun and frustrating. There are moments of bliss like today....having a picnic lunch on our front lawn watching a cement mixer truck make a new pathway for our neighbors yard. Joaquin napping peacefully after a busy morning of therapy. Sofia playing with her hands and her shadow on the picnic blanket. Diego and Mateo getting along, giggling, eating their lunch happily, mesmerized by the construction project going on across the street. And then there are moments of complete CHAOS...a huge dirty diaper explosion from Sofia right before needing to get all the kids in the car to drop off the big boys to soccer camp in time. Joaquin escaping out the door after destroying every room he came in contact with on the way out the door. Diego and Mateo fighting over who is better or faster or smarter or gets to go first or gets to go last, you name it they fight it.

It's hard work being a stay at home mom to four children ages 7 and under. It's exhausting. But I signed up for this so I show up to work every day and put in my best effort. Sometimes I do a pretty good job, some days not so much. But I try to go easy on myself...this is an adjustment for me and for Hector as well as for the kids and for Sofia. We are all evolving as a family of six now.

There are days when I get in a bit of a panic about Sofia's delays. She is making incredible progress and everyone agrees she is doing so well, but I can't help but worry and fear that she has so far to go and is so far behind. What I see at her core is a girl who is smart and capable and strong and determined when she wants to be...but sometimes I also see her lethargy or apathy for things...ghosts from her past where her little spirit may have been damaged and still needs repair. An orphanage is no place for a child...especially a child with special needs.

Sofia is still in the process of having all medical related issues checked out and ruled out. We have seen her pediatrician and an endocrinologist but we still have her cardiology appointment, ENT appointment, audiology appointment and opthomology appointment. She is currently receiving 2 hours of Physical Therapy a week and 1 hour of Occupational Therapy a week and a 1/2 hour of Music Therapy. Starting next week we will add 1 hour of Speech Therapy a week and we will see an Oral Motor Therapist once a month. She is eating all sorts of different foods and textures. And she just started self feeding this week. She learned that she can hold a cracker and put it to her mouth and eat, seems so simple but she never knew this before as everything she ever ate in the orphanage came in a bottle. We are working on the straw drinking but no luck yet. It will take some diligence and effort on my part to switch over to a sippy cup but that is her next goal for feeding. She is still VERY verbal and has excellent mimicking skills. We are still working on independent sitting...she prefers to sit in a tripod. She just started army crawling as a form of transportation...maybe up to 3 feet or so to get to a toy or food. We have so many goals for her and I try not to get overwhelmed.

Most importantly she is loved and is not lacking for love. She's also a bit famous here in Sacramento. I've had strangers stop me and ask "Is that Sofia?" and I've had people stop us in doctor's offices saying they saw Sofia on TV. She has a cult following and if you meet Sofia in person you will see that she takes the job seriously. She puts on her best smiley face and will wave to the crowds. You should see her in the stroller...waves like she's on parade. She's hilarious!

Anyway, just a little update on our baby girl. She continues to grow in our hearts each and every day. I'm still getting used to saying "the kids" instead of "the boys" and it's becoming more and more real that we have a daughter now. I hope to share more about some deeper thoughts on adoption and special needs and having a girl with DS versus having a boy as time permits and when I get a moment to really assimilate everything that has happened since the beginning of the year. I have so much more to share and talk about. Oh boy, it's been a big year for the Sanchez family. At the end of the day, we are SO blessed and SO fortunate and for that I am SO grateful.

Those Eyes

2010-07-28T21:20:00.000-07:00

We went to see the Opthomologist again today for a follow up on Joaquin's strabismus. It was a good appointment in that Hector and I didn't allow ourselves to feel rushed and we asked a ton of questions and really got a better sense of what the doctor thinks is going on with his eyes.

The GREAT news is that Joaquin has wonderful vision. He does not need glasses and we can proceed with any reading program and visual activities that we want to do with him. This is a HUGE load off my mind as I have put off some interventions that I wanted to do with him because I was concerned about his crossed eyes.

The BAD news (but it's not really that bad) is that we have to patch again for one more month, patching his right eye (the dominant eye) for two hours a day. In one month we return to the doctor's office and if she feels that Joaquin is using both eyes equally, she will recommend surgery at that time. If she still feels there is an inequality, we will continue patching until the eyes are both being used (meaning there is no dominant eye).

The SCARY news is that it really looks like eye surgery for strabismus is in Joaquin's future. This is really hard for me to contemplate. There are many reasons why. First and foremost, we learned at The Institutes that eye surgery should always be avoided and instead we should work hard on helping to change the root or cause of the problem (the brain injury) instead of the result of the problem (the crossed eyes). Second, I hate the idea of cutting a muscle and reattaching it...especially when it has to do with his EYES! Third, I have sort of come to love Joaquin and his crazy crossed eyes and I worry about the "reasons" for doing this. Is it really necessary or is it cosmetic? The doctor seems to think that there are valid medical reasons as well as cosmetic reasons for doing this. Fourth, there is a 75% success rate for this surgery and the other 25% may need additional surgeries to fully resolve the strabismus. Uggh!

So...we have some time to think. We have at least one month of patching before we have to make any big decisions. In one month, we will see what the doctor says and go from there. We will be pursuing a few second opinions. We may see at least one more Opthomologist and then also consult with a Vision Therapist and an Optometrist. Just a few more things to add to our already full plate but Joaquin is SO worth it.

Such a HAM!

2010-07-28T00:47:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned how much I love this kid? Oh I could eat him up! And Sofia along with him. I can already tell we are going to have a lifetime of fun with these two!

Apparently Joaquin found Sofia edible too. He LOVES to kiss his sister but I guess one of those kisses turned into a "love" bite and Sofia ended up with some teeth marks on one of her cheeks. I can't say that I blame him. Those cheeks are irresistible but I will be keeping a closer eye on him from now on!

P.S. These beautiful photographs were taken by Trace Grace Photography. Aren't they AWESOME?!?

Blossoming!

2010-07-28T00:17:00.000-07:00

Sofia is blossoming here at home with us. It's been exactly 6 weeks today that she has been home with us and I would say that she is fully acclimated to her new life in California. Every day she becomes more and more the precious little girl she was meant to be. Sofia is 17 months old now and she is SO happy and she is eager to smile, laugh and wave hello or goodbye. In fact, I would say waving is her most favorite thing to do...as well as clapping and smacking her lips when she wants to kiss you.

A "mommy" friend of mine (and neighbor) Tracy recently took these beautiful photographs of Sofia and Joaquin in between our occupational therapy sessions that morning and after carting off the big brothers (Diego and Mateo) to summer basketball camp. I'm in awe of what photographers can capture in such a short amount of time with their talent. These photographs speak more than any words that I could write. Thank you Tracy for such a lovely gift!

And one medical update...Sofia does NOT have a thyroid issue after all. We tested her 4 different times and the first two showed a VERY slight issue and the last two which were done by a more "careful" and "precise" lab showed no problems at all. We will continue to watch it closely and will most likely test every two months just to make sure we don't miss anything. What is really interesting though is that between the 2nd and 3rd blood draws I began introducing sea kelp into Sofia's diet. I add it in her morning oatmeal and it's extremely high in iodine which helps thyroid function. Could it have helped her in that short of time? I don't know, but I'm sure happy all is well with her right now!

Álvaro del Bosque

2010-07-20T18:26:00.000-07:00

Most of you know that Spain won the World Cup this month and for those who follow soccer, you know that this is a huge deal for Spain. If you ask Jen she'll tell you how passionate I am about soccer. She is probably glad it is over because I was glued to the TV for a month. The day the World Cup started in South Africa we were in Ukraine getting ready to take the train back to Kiev a few days after we took Sofia out of the orphanage. I was so stressed out because I didn't know until the last minute if I was going to be able to watch the opening match. Mexico was playing South Africa, the host nation. I kept flipping channels hoping I was going to bump into it and 5 minutes before kick off time, it came on and I was in heaven. Every afternoon in Kiev all I did was watch World Cup soccer until early morning, 3 matches every day, and back at home it didn't end until the last day. Mexico got eliminated by Argentina on the round of sixteens, so I switched to Spain as my favorite and I was really happy to see them go all the way until they raised the World Cup, raising the Cup is such a huge deal. In soccer world there is nothing like it and not many people get to do that.

This morning I got an email from my oldest brother Sergio, he is married to Elena who is from Spain, so you can imagine how excited they both are. In the email was an article about the son of Spain's Head Coach, Vicente del Bosque, who has Down Syndrome. I didn't know this about him until today so that made the whole thing extra special, and seeing this picture brought tears to my eyes.

This is a abstract of the original article from El Pais, Madrid's main newspaper:

Of the three sons of Vicente del Bosque, there is one, Alvaro, the middle child, that change his life. Alvaro was born on August 6, 1989, back then, del Bosque was the Head Coach for Castilla. A few days after a test confirmed that Alvarito had Down Syndrome. "At first we cried a lot", I confess that now that I look back I think que gilipollas fuimos, how stupid we were.
For Vicente Del Bosque and his friends, there is no thought: Alvaro is a gift that life conceded him. Yesterday in Monclova, wearing a number 6 jersey of del Bosque and before going into the Palace Alvaro gave a big embrace to his father. Later he was seen joking with Xavi Hernandez, star midfielder, in the champions bus. "My son is happy and radiates happiness. He is mischievous, but he doesn't know evil", del Bosque proudly explains. Del Bosque, convinced that things happen for a reason, remembers that when he use to play for "El Real Madrid", every morning there was a boy with Down Syndrome that use to visit us at the locker room: "I don't remember his name, just that he was a lot of fun and we really liked him, he use to grab my mustache".
They say that Alvaro is a charming young man, but that doesn't take away being critic about his father's soccer decisions, he gets mad when he doesn't play, in his opinion, the right player in a match, and every day he use to tell him that he wanted Daniel Guiza to to make the cut for the World Cup roster, the one that didn't make it and Alvaro was really mad. He took a lot of liking for 2 players during the world cup, Llorente and Javi Martínez, just because he went to a Safari with their families, so he defended them and ask his father to play them.

Touching More Hearts

2010-07-15T13:07:00.000-07:00

It's awe inspiring to see how our story of adopting Sofia has touched the hearts and souls of people especially children near and far. Here is link to a community blog with a post about Sofia and her newest friends. LOVE it!

Click here...Natomas Song

Americana

2010-07-07T21:01:00.000-07:00

Just a few snapshots of our kiddos on the 4th of July. My dear friend Michelle Marrone is starting a photography business and she really has a wonderful and unique approach to capturing loved ones. Here are our sleeping baby beauties!

Joaquin (a.k.a. "Squamp"...his brothers made that one up!)

Little Miss Sofi!

Mateo (my little "Tay-Tay")

Mr. D...Diego

Summer Lovin'

2010-07-07T07:13:00.000-07:00

Sweet Sofia is at no loss for love at our house. All three boys adore her and shower her with affection, hugs, kisses, sweet talk...the whole nine yards.

Sofia looks like a princess in some of these photos...as she should...being the only little girl in the house!

She's Our Little Blossom

2010-07-06T19:38:00.000-07:00

She is blossoming before our eyes. Sofia is doing so well at home with us. These photos were taken this morning. She is already sitting up unassisted after we prop her and she has so many expressions and verbalizations. She LOVES to "talk" and one of my most favorite faces is her "pouty" lips.

We've spend the past two weeks getting into a new routine, visiting friends, going to the doctors office, having blood drawn, getting regional services started, a social security card, getting initial therapy evaluations and doing our first round of PT (physical therapy) and OT (occupational therapy).

Sofia is doing so well and her eating technique from a spoon is almost perfect and soon we will transition to a straw cup from the bottle. This girl LOVES to eat. She can army crawl to get to toys or people. She loves people but I have to say she gets the most excited with her Nana. They have a very special bond already.

We haven't seen many of the specialists yet to clear her heart, ears and eyes but we are investigating the possibility of hypothyroidism. It was the only thing that came back from her labs as a bit off. The second blood test showed normal levels so tomorrow we are off to a third blood draw to see if we can figure her thyroid out. It makes a lot of sense that she may have "hypo"thyroidism...she gains weight easily, is often lethargic and sleepy, she has a hoarse voice and she sweats easily. We'll see what happens and I'm so glad we are on top of this so early so we can get her thyroid functioning properly so she feels her best.

She's a love bug, a snuggle bug and she's OUR bug! We love our little blossom!

Meet My New Sister

2010-07-06T19:21:00.000-07:00

Here is my new sister Sofia. We are almost exactly a year apart but we look like twins next to each other. We are having so much fun together already! Mama calls us her little monkeys. I wonder why?

Let Freedom Ring

2010-07-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the 4th of July in our hometown of Sacramento which included a neighborhood parade, swimming, block party complete with dunk tank, cupcake walk, watermelon eating contest, water balloon contest, seed spitting contest, neighborhood potluck and BBQ, music and of course a fireworks show.

This year was especially meaningful as it was Sofia's first 4th of July, her first American holiday and one that symbolizes so much for her. She has a brand new life here in the United States. She has a future that is bright, so much brighter than the four walls of the orphanage that she lived in just 3 weeks ago. We are so happy to have her home now and settled into her new life...full of freedom!

More pictures to follow soon. We finally got the camera out since returning home from Ukraine a couple weeks ago!

I also promise an update on all the "goings on" since we've returned. It's been a busy couple weeks and I'm still adjusting to life with four children. We are truly blessed. The house is full and happy and lively...and sometimes crazy but it's all good.

Future Plumber

2010-07-05T10:29:00.000-07:00

LOVE him!

2010-06-25T00:30:00.000-07:00

Can he get any more edible? This photo was taken by a friend on her iphone so it's not the best quality but I just LOVE him and his face and his green eyes. I swear I kiss him a thousand times per day!

Sofia's First Playdate

2010-06-24T23:59:00.000-07:00

On the same whirlwind day that the news reporter came to our house to do a quick interview on our little "star" Sofia, we rushed off to attend a music therapy playdate at a friend's house. We were so excited to see a HUGE group of friends attending the group and Sofia got to meet so many of her new girlfriends. There must have been about 10 children there (not including siblings) and all with DS and when Joaquin arrived he was the only boy (with DS) in attendance and he sure poured on the charm for everyone. Sofia was a little social butterfly and happily was passed from one mama to another and even participated in the music therapy session. I swear this little girl LOVES a crowd and enjoys all the attention! She really lights up around big groups of adoring people.

Here are a few snapshots from the morning playdate. Check out Sofia taking a ride in the big drum and Joaquin at the front of the class practicing his animal "signs".

We look forward to LOTS more of these in the future! We are so blessed to have an amazing community of families touched by DS and we (the mamas) affectionately call ourselves The Sisterhood. I love my "sisters" as if they were family. They have been an incredible support and it's just a wonderful feeling to have so many great families to experience this journey with. We hope to raise our children together and watch them grow and thrive and build friendships based on these early playdates. It's so exciting to think of all the kids when they get older. And judging by the numbers at today's playdate, Sofia will have LOTS of sleepovers and princess dress up playdates and tea parties at the park with all her "girls". And Joaquin....well, the odds are in his favor when it comes time for a homecoming date!

Joaquin Stealing the Show!

2010-06-21T22:45:00.000-07:00

Sofia & Joaquin on TV Today

2010-06-21T21:10:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th Anniversary to Reece's Rainbow!

2010-06-18T20:59:00.000-07:00

Video Montage for Reece's Rainbow on their 4th Anniversary!

Get your tissues ready. This is a very powerful video. I am in awe of what Andrea at Reece's Rainbow has been able to accomplish with her adoption ministry. I am honored to be a part of it. Look for faces that you will recognize in the video (my dearest Leeza and precious Anna both still waiting for a family!). Please open your hearts and consider adoption or please continue to support other families trying to save the life of an orphan. Like Andrea said, there is no shortage of families wishing to adopt, only the funds.

Thank you so much for taking this journey with us!

Our New Family

2010-06-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

I'm going to have to figure out a new blog title now that we are FOUR!

Any suggestions?

Big Brother

2010-06-16T22:21:00.000-07:00

Joaquin is a BIG BROTHER!

Sofia has arrived and our family is complete with our latest addition! Finally a little bit of pink in the house!

You can read all about our homecoming here and here. Joaquin greeted Sofia with a big kiss! He seems like such a big boy now that there is a baby in the house!

Our First Day

2010-06-16T21:53:00.000-07:00

We spent the day visiting with friends, taking a stroller walk, walking to Starbucks, visiting our Great Aunt Tootie at her Senior Living Center, getting a social security card and swimming at Nana and Grandpa's pool. It was a perfect summer day and I hope there are MANY more to come!

Sofia is having some difficulty with the time change so we tried to get out and about as much as possible so that she could feel the "daytime" and be ready for bed tonight. I think it worked. She got some good California sunshine and took her first swim in the pool. She was a bit unsure about it but overall she did amazing since it was on the cool side.

The boys are loving their baby sister. Diego is the caretaker. He wants to make sure she is happy, safe and fed. He gave her two of her bottles today and took great care in feeding her. Mateo constantly hovers around Sofia, giving her kisses and hugs and making sure she always has a toy nearby. Joaquin stops to give a kiss here and there but otherwise that boy is BUSY! His new walking skills are WAY more interesting right now than baby sister. Too funny! He is overall VERY gentle with her and every time he kisses her he strokes his face which is the sign for "gentle" so he gets it...MOST of the time. He did sneak in a little pull of her fuzzy hair today but mostly because he was really wound up from wrestling with his brothers.

Today at the social security office we discovered that the man behind the counter helping us with our application was actually born in the same city as Sofia! What are the chances? It really truly is a small world! This ended up being a blessing in disguise since all of Sofia's official documents are in Russian and we needed them to be translated in person (they don't accept outside translations) so he was able to sit and read her birth certificate and adoption decree right there in front of us. It was so incredible! What are the chances?

A couple local news stations called today and yesterday wanting to do a follow up story on Sofia so I think I'll give them a call tomorrow. We need to let our community know that Sofia is home and so so happy!

3 Boys and a Baby Girl

2010-06-16T11:31:00.000-07:00

Sofia is HOME!

2010-06-16T04:38:00.000-07:00

Oh those sweet words...Sofia is home.

And because I'm not sure when I'll get another spare moment in the next few days of getting settled with our newest addition, I will send you over to my dear friend and "sister" Lisa at Genenetically Enhanced who was able to document us getting to the airport and some of our first few moments all together as a family.

Oh what a sight to see, our three golden boys waiting for us with Nana and a group of my closest friends and fellow "sisters". Thank you everyone for all the love and support. It means the WORLD to us.

Sofia's Homecoming!

I'll post again soon with how things are going as a family of six and some more photos and videos of the boys with their new sister and how Sofia adjust to being home in California.

Much love and blessings to you all!

We're Coming HOME!

2010-06-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

Today we got Sofia's Visa at the U.S. Embassy so we are completely DONE with our adoption! YAHOO! We are headed back home early tomorrow morning and we'll arrive Tuesday night in Sacramento. Two days earlier than we originally planned. We can hardly believe it!

We've tried to soak up as much as we can of Ukraine. We took a 2 hour walking tour of Kiev yesterday with Nikolai's daughter and learned so much about the history of Ukraine and realized that it truly is a VERY young country as it has only been independent since 1991. It was so interesting to hear the perspective of a young citizen of Ukraine and all her hopes and disappointments about the country and it's leadership.We hope for the best for Ukraine and it's people...all it's people...especially the orphans, the elderly, and the disabled. Again, we have so much to be grateful for in the United States.

So it's on to a new chapter in our lives. We're now a family of SIX! We cannot wait for the boys to meet their new sister.

But especially for this boy to become a big brother for the first time!

Wedding, Anyone?

2010-06-13T20:38:00.000-07:00

In the course of an hour walk, we saw at least a dozen brides if not more (we seriously lost count!) at the historic park across the street from our apartment in Kiev. When we saw the first one, we were so excited...oh, look someone is getting married! And then we saw another...and another...and another. It got quite comical. In fact, it was a parade of brides in the park. It was at least 90 degrees at around 3pm and everywhere we turned we saw a different white dress with a sweaty groom attached. LOTS of champagne bottles popping, too. The occasional blushing bride. Even a bridezilla pouting and stomping her feet at her photographer. It was hilarious! It seems that in Ukraine it is customary to get married in the church and then to take a pilgrimage to the park and make an offering of flowers to the eternal flame monument overlooking the Dniper River.

And then, after the photo op, you head in one of these to a nearby restaurant for the after party!

Cheers to all the beautiful Ukrainian brides!

An Afternoon Walk in Kiev

2010-06-13T20:18:00.000-07:00

Wah-keen Walking!

2010-06-11T22:45:00.000-07:00

Through the Dark - Alexi Murdoch

2010-06-11T20:54:00.000-07:00

GOTCHA Day!

2010-06-10T13:20:00.000-07:00

Today was GOTCHA day for Sofia!

When I woke up this morning I was overwhelmed with emotion. My feelings about this whole experience have been all over the map but today especially. I felt so incredibly excited about finally brining Sofia home. We've waited 6 months for this moment but I also felt a huge amount of sadness for the ones left behind. It's so hard to explain. My heart absolutely aches for all of the orphans left waiting for a family. So with a heavy and happy heart, we set off to scoop Sofia up around 10 am.

We arrived to discover it was a very busy day at the orphanage. There were teams of "doctor" types visiting all of the groupas and so the staff were very preoccupied and seemed nervous and on edge. It was almost as if it were examination day and these groups of people all dressed in white coats were examining the children and the staff had to be alert to answer their questions.

When the staff saw us, they knew the reason we were there and so they scrambled to go get Sofia. One of our ABSOLUTE favorite staff members was there today so I was thrilled to be able to say goodbye to her. We brought the groupa some bananas (a rare and expensive treat to the children) and some baby cookies. We also brought diapers and a large box of chocolates for the staff. We also presented them with a brand new little girl's outfit as a trade offering so that we could bring a pair of old orphanage tights home to have something from Sofia's first home.

Out came Sofia with WILD hair and a HUGE grin! It was marvelous! The staff had so much to say to us so we got Marina on the phone to help us translate. Basically they wanted us to know that they love us, they are grateful to us, they wish us well, and wish for us a safe journey home with Sofia.

Sofia was in her usual form cheerful and sunny but she seemed to be especially giddy today. I wonder if somehow she knew deep down what was going on.
When they brought her to us she had nothing on but a diaper so we dressed her in her sweet little outfit and pulled out her hat...we knew we better have a hat or we might get scolded! And of course a few minutes later one of the staff brought me some long socks to put on her. At first I thought, I better listen to her and put them on but since it was about 90 degrees today, I shook my head and said "No thank you!" It was actually a really sweet gesture, she was going to give them to us and again I realized the staff really do care about these children.

We said our goodbyes with Sofia waving and laughing and made our way to Sofia's "baby" groupa down the hall. The staff took one look at little Sofia and burst into cheers and happiness. They wanted to thank us for the couch and they let us walk into the room (such a "no no" here so we were thrilled!) and we got to see the couch and ALL THE BABIES! Oh my goodness, there were shirtless diapered babies EVERYWHERE and they were ADORABLE. I couldn't scan the room fast enough to try and see if I recognized any of them. I think I saw at least one pair those familiar and beautiful almond eyes! But about a minute into our visit, one of the "visiting doctors in a white coat" shouted in the scariest tone something to the staff and we were quickly led out of the room. If the staff had tails, they would have been tucked in tight after that scolding! Regardless, the smiles were bountiful from Sofia's first "mamas" and we were so happy to have at least said goodbye to them.

Then we made our way to the head nurse to say goodbye and of course ran into everyone on the way. I think every staff person was on duty today for whatever special inspection was going on. So of course Sofia was on display and was giving the crowds what they asked for...smiles and "Paka Paka" waves. We waited a minute for the nurse to arrive (and boy did she seem stressed out today!) and we presented her with a box of chocolates and then we were on our way.

We took our last walk from the orphanage to our apartment, this time with Sofia in our arms and it was an emotional moment for sure. On our way back, I tripped on something and almost lost my balance and I had Sofia in my arms. I was able to regain my footing and not lose hold of Sofia but in that moment it was sheer panic for both Hector and me. I almost dropped Sofia on the pavement on our walk home having her not even 10 minutes under my watch. Oh the pipeworks started. The tears and sobs were uncontrollable. I was so shaken by it. She was fine, I was fine but in that moment I realized that I had fallen literally and figuratively for my daughter. I love her and want to protect her for the rest of her life. Hector was so nervous too and I realized then how much he cares for her as well. All was fine and I DIDN'T drop her and we made it home in one piece. Phew!

When we got home we put on the fans and let Sofia play and relax on the floor with her toys. She was so curious about her new surroundings but took it all in like a true champ. She's such an easy going child. She happily played and smiled for us but within 10 minutes she was OUT. She just put her head down on the ground and fell asleep. I don't know if it was the heat or the excitement of the morning but guess what? We let her sleep! Sure...it was only 11 AM and she hadn't had her lunch and this wasn't her scheduled nap time...but we were so happy to let her sleep when she felt like it. Can you imagine that feeling? I put a little blanket under her head and she managed to stay there for awhile sleeping.

THREE HOURS LATER, she was still asleep and had managed to get herself in all sort of different sleeping positions. It was adorable to watch but I was SO tempted to wake her up just to be with her more. But soon enough around 2pm she woke up...happy! For the rest of the day, I managed to be her mama. Changed a poopy diaper, fed her some cereal, gave her a bottle, gave her a bath, massaged some lavender lotion on her, brushed her teeth, sang for her, rocked her, played with her. It was a wonderful first day together and after a little dinner she put herself to sleep again for the night. Right now, Hector and Sofia are sleeping soundly and I'm left here pondering all the great fortune in my life. I feel so blessed and happy. Thank you God for opening this adoption door for me and for giving me the courage and the faith to walk through it. I am forever grateful and forever changed.

Summer at the Orphanage...and We've Got Photos!

2010-06-09T20:49:00.000-07:00

Summer at the orphanage is completely different!
Today we went to the orphanage at Sofia's visiting hours and after we presented the director with all the donated clothes and toys we went over to Sofia's groupa. We were surprised to find the room almost entirely empty. There were only two or three children left in the room and I could barely see them as they are very ill and are kept pretty isolated.

We quickly realized that the staff had taken all the children OUTSIDE to a covered outdoor permanent playpen and all the kids were dressed in diapers and tank tops (NO SHOES OR SOCKS!) and the they had put out a few toys and some blankets. At first Hector and I were a bit nervous to walk over there but we quickly realized that the staff were totally open to us coming over! The staff even introduced us to all of the kids by their names. Hector snapped LOTS of photos and I got to play with Sasha (the cutie pie who is going to be adopted later this year from an RR family), Anna (the adorable brunette girl with DS that I love dearly), Leeza (the sweet girl with DS and FAS that has stolen and broken my heart) and another little darling boy named Trenton (new to the RR website) and a little girl named Sasha (who does not have DS but has an orthopedic condition and is not on RR yet!).Maybe the conditions are not as bad as I feared here at this orphanage. The staff today are some of our favorite staff members that we've come to know and I am so happy to say that I do feel they care for these kids and I saw them interact and hold the kids today. I hope it wasn't just a "show" for us but a general care and consideration for the children. I'm sure they have their bad days and days when they are understaffed but today was a good day. A happy day. Warms my heart!

I am THRILLED to report that I got to hold Leeza and play with the rest of the kids. I got Leeza and Anna to smile- YEAH! I had Anna laughing which was the first time I have seen a range of emotion on Anna. She loves to be tickled and it was just adorable. Sasha was up to his usual antics and was as charming as ever. It's definitely Sasha that makes himself known in the groupa, that boy loves attention and knows how to get it. Leeza can definitely see and has good fine motor control. I watched her pick the smallest pieces of lint off a blanket and pieces of bark off the ground to try and eat it! She's a fast one...she got a piece of something in her mouth before I could grab it out of her hands. The staff seemed hesitant to let me hold Leeza pointing to her newly shaved head and the scabs but I told them I didn't care and grabbed her anyway. She responds to people, looks at your face and tries to make eye contact. Again, there is a sweet spirit in there! When you look at the photos look beyond the bald head. She has platinum blond hair like Sasha and pale blue eyes. No photo will ever do her justice to what I see in her in person. There are a few children missing from the groupa and we don't know where they went. I'm not going to allow myself to think about that too much for fear of the worst. And there is a new handsome boy Trenton. I'm not sure what medical condition Trenton has and if it is DS then he is very high functioning and it is not very apparent. We weren't able to get any photos of him because the staff took him back as soon as we got there.

For those of you wanting more info on the kids, I saw a heart surgery scar on Sasha and Leeza. None on the others. Sasha and Anna are army crawling but can both pull up to a stand position and cruise. Trenton was being help most the time but I have seen him pull to stand and cruise as well as sit at a baby chair independently to eat. Leeza rolls around and cannot sit up but if she wants to get somewhere she can get there and fast in her own way!

It seems the staff are happier and more easy going now that the weather is better and more pleasant. I was so happy to see the children outside and the kids were happier too. They seemed happy to be in the fresh air and shade and although I'm sure they long to be roaming more freely than the bars that contained them in the playpen, this was at least a start! So, I am happy to say that my goal of getting to hold and play with the kids was accomplished and we have the pictures to share as well. I feel so much better now just knowing that I was able to connect however briefly with the children. I will miss them and hope and pray that they are all safe in a loving home as soon as possible. These children need you!

During our morning visit, we put Sofia in the outdoor playpen to see how she interacts with the children. It was immediately apparent that she is the most robust child in this groupa! What are they feeding her that they aren't feeding the others!!! She is just a sweet girl and full of laughs and smiles. The staff really love her. I watched her and Anna interact and baby "chat" with each other. They were adorable together. I know Sofia is going to LOVE her brothers when she gets home. They will be a source of constant entertainment!

Later that morning, we asked to feed Sofia so we could get a glimpse of what to buy her in terms of baby food etc. They prepared her meal by mashing it up and creating a think soup and then put it in a bottle with a LARGE hole in the nipple. The soup was a mixture of carrots, cabbage, potato, meat, bread and gravy...and it had a very pungent smell. The thick soup essentially poured into Sofia's mouth when I fed her. She ate/drank about half of that and she was done. Then the staff brought out another bottle filled with what they called compote which was a thick hot fruit juice which again she drank in about 1 minute. I'm wondering now how much of a challenge it will be to feed Sofia and if she will have the patience to actually suck from a normal bottle. We'll soon find out. I think I'm going to stick with rice cereal, oatmeal, bananas, applesauce, sweet potato and apple juice/water until we get home. I don't want to upset her stomach during our week left in Ukraine. We'll get more adventuresome when we get home. I think they give her one bottle of milk a day (but we have not seen this) but due to her excema and her congestion I think we'll hold off on formula or milk until we get home too. Maybe we'll get her some yogurt here instead. I'm sure hoping my experience in raising 3 boys will pay off now with caring for Sofia.

Tomorrow is the big day. We still have more supplies to purchase for Sofia which we will do first thing in the morning and then we will go and pick her up!

Worldless Wednesday - At the Passport Office

2010-06-09T13:41:00.000-07:00

A Girl from Baby House 1

2010-06-09T11:27:00.000-07:00

I'm in the process of reading a really intense and all too familiar book called "The Boy from Baby House 10". Within the first few pages of this memoir about a boy from an orphanage in Russia, I knew that it was going to be difficult to read especially since so much of those first few pages remind me exactly of what I've witnessed in Sofia's orphanage here in Ukraine.

Sofia is in what is officially called Baby House 1. Luckily, the director here at this orphanage really does care for the children so they are renovating the orphanage and most recently got new insulated windows so that it stays cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

Yesterday, we cashed Sofia's bank account that had about $1800 in it and we donated it back to the orphanage to help with renovations. It is customary to do this and we were so happy to do it. We hope this money will make even more improvements to the conditions inside the orphanage at Baby House 1.

We also found out that all babies in Baby House 1 are baptized usually before they turn 1. We received a copy of her Baptism and a small angel prayer card and a cross on a chain. Sofia was baptized on February 18th of this year, just a few days before her first birthday. What a blessing.

Starting tomorrow, the girl from Baby House 1 will no longer be. She will be Sofia from Sacramento, California!