What are you doing

New Year's Eve?

Caught off-guard

We're not sure how far Keith is developmentally-speaking. One doctor said 6-9 months, another doctor said newborn. Whatever the age he is - he is learning some new behaviors. Today he threw a big fit (he seems to be having fits more often these days...) so I calmed him down by rocking him. Once he was calmed down, I put him on the floor. He looked up at me and very deliberately stuck out his tongue and blew raspberries at me and scooted away quickly. Tyler & I were definitely caught off-guard by this behavior. He knew what he was doing.

Both children have been more difficult lately. Keith throws more fits. If I take him away from ANYTHING that he's doing, he throws a fit. It's getting to be ridiculous how many times he throws his head back and kicks his legs throughout the day (and evening). Anna wasn't much of a tantrum girl - so this is new territory for me. Kristina is now whining. All. The. Time. If she can't have a bath - she whines. If she can't play wii - she whines. If I can't pick her up immediately - she whines. Ah yes, we have two very difficult-to-please children in our house. The therapist warned us that things would get worse before they got better. She wasn't kidding around.

In almost 8 years of marriage...

...Today was our very first visit to the ER. Kristina's ear was bleeding so I took her in. The funny thing? They said her ear was "just fine." "Fine?" "Yes, no problems." "Then why was it bleeding?" "I don't know - but they look just fine." Very helpful. They gave me some ear drops and we were on our way.

It's unavoidable this time of year

If only my family didn't join me, too. :o(

Naps and Corners

After having episodes of Kristina waking up in the middle of the night and NOT going back to sleep, we cut our her nap during the day. Problem solved. I thought that doing the same with Keith would help with his bedtime routine - and it did. Problem solved. Although I'm happy that they go down to bed MUCH easier at night - I miss my 2 hour break during the day! ;o)

While Uncle Yury was here for Christmas, he spoke to Kristina and Keith in Russian which was great. He asked some questions to Kristina and we found out some vital things. For example, she KNOWS that I am her Mama and that Tyler is her Daddy. She is happy. She is afraid of the dark - it's SO HELPFUL to know that - now we leave a light on in her room at night. The tooth she is missing was knocked out in Ukraine - we were wondering...and then discipline. Yury sent Kristina to the corner for disobeying. He said that in Ukraine sending the children to the corner is their main form of discipline. We have been sending her there since then when she disobeys.

Not to worry - we follow it up with a big hug and kiss and "Mama lubit (loves) Kristina". :o)

Christmas Pictures!

Christmas morning

I hope that you had a very Merry Christmas. I know that we did. My sister, Heather, and her family coming to visit was so wonderful. We all had a great time together. Here is some video from our Christmas morning. (I wish we had gotten more!)

I love this time of year, but I have a hard time when Christmas is all over. The anticipation is gone, and I feel very emotional that it's all over. Anyone else know what I'm talking about?

Merry Christmas!

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! I know that we did. The kids woke up around 6am and went through their stockings. We had breakfast around 7am. Then the kids opened presents! We had a lovely time.

While uploading Christmas videos and pictures on my other blog, I found these old videos that I wanted to share. Enjoy!



Keith doing his excited dance!

This was the day after we arrived home from Ukraine. Kristina LOVES to dance and here her fabulous Aunt Tisha is dancing with her.

Anna at her school program - it's a marshmallow world!

Keith not only loves bathtime - he has learned how to SPLASH! He absolutely loves splashing around in the tub and is quite upset if you take him out!

Traditions, part 2,178

Sharing the Christmas Story with my children on Christmas Eve. I was excited to share the story of Jesus' birth with Keith & Kristina. Here is how our evening went: Tyler read the story. Yury translated the story into Russian for Kristina & Keith. Anna moved the figures from our Little People Nativity throughout the story. Iliana was crying. Keith was screaming. Kristina was crying because Keith kept throwing said figures at her head. Maggie was trying to chew on the figures. And Heather was videoing the whole thing. Yeah, I'm not going to post that video on here. But telling the story is something I want to do every year. Merry Christmas to you all. May we remember Christ's birth everyday and thank Him for His sacrifice and love for us.

Seeing through new eyes

Presenting: Keith modeling his new glasses. You may now "Ooh" and "Aah" over how cute he is.

I think we have enough

Clothes...

And therefore, we have more than enough laundry.

Traditions, part fourteen

When I wrote "Traditions, part one", I had no idea how many I would do. I originally thought that I would do 10 or 12 - like the Twelve days of Christmas, etc. However, I keep finding more and more traditions, so I keep jotting them down. For this post - I would like to hear about any traditions that you do at this time of year that I haven't talked about yet. Perhaps I'm missing out on a great tradition that you have!

New Christmas attire: When I was growing up my grandma would buy new Christmas clothes for my siblings and I to wear to church AND to go see The Nutcracker Ballet. I looked forward to that new dress each year. I am striving to do the same for my kids. Take a look at these cuties!

Anna

Keith

Kristina

And the best part about these adorable clothes - other than the adorable children wearing them, of course - One was from the thrift store, one was given to me, and one was from a garage sale! It's possible to dress cute for less! Merry Christmas!

Traditions, part thirteen

Christmas Day Dinner. Here is what's on our menu:

Turkey (that has been brined)
Holiday Mashed Potatoes
Rolls
Sweet Potato Casserole
Corn (I prefer frozen corn that has been boiled, drained, and doused with butter, salt & pepper)
Gravy (take turkey drippings and put them in a pan. Whisk 3 tbsp flour with 1 cup milk - add to drippings. Cook until thick)
Coconut Pound Cake

Holiday Mashed Potatoes: it's very simple. Peel potatoes, boil them until soft - then mix together with REAL butter, a little sour cream and some cream cheese. NO MILK. Sprinkle some salt and pepper. Mix well. Pour into greased baking dish and dot with butter on top and sprinkle paprika on top. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. H E A V E N. This recipe is supposedly just for holidays, but I make it year-round. Once you make it, perhaps you will too!

Sweet Potato Casserole: I never had this growing up, but my husband MUST have it, so I obey his wishes. According to him - it's VERY tasty. I'm not a fan of sweet potatoes, myself, but if I was - then I'd like this recipe.
3 cups cooked sweet potatoes (my mil uses the microwave, I use the oven to bake them)
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
2 tsp nutmet
1/2 cup milk

Stir together all ingredients. Pour into casserole dish.

Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
Blend together and pour over top of sweet potatoes. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Voila!

What am I forgetting that you have on Christmas Day?

100th post

Wow. 100 posts. It's amazing the journey that we've had thus far. We started our paperwork in April of this year (2008) and submitted in July, and traveled in October. And now we have 2 adorable children with us here. I hoped to have them home for Christmas and God answered that prayer. We are so blessed.

Both Keith & Kristina think it's HILARIOUS whenever we blow our nose with a tissue. I'm not entirely sure why this is - but during this time of year we can't help but entertain them with this activity.

Here is a video I saw on this blog. Thank you all who keep our country safe!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Swaddling

I have been swaddling both children before naptime and bedtime and it has been working wonderfully. My husband says it seems that we spend our entire life trying to recreate the feelings of being in the womb. ;o) Kristina does especially well before naptime and bedtime. She snuggles right up and is so affectionate and sweet during the rocking time. She is easy to love. :o)

Today we picked out some glasses for Keith. They are bronze-colored - they match his beautiful eyes. In one week (when they're hopefully ready to be picked up) I'll post some pictures. He wasn't too thrilled about them, I must say. But, the one year warranty on them was a little reassuring. Keith has also decided that he LOVES the bath. It's amazing the change in him. Today he sat in the tub and actually *gasp* splashed the water with his hands! And when daddy took him out - a HUGE fit until he was placed back in the bathtub. What a funny little guy.

Traditions, part twelve

Going to see Christmas lights with my family. I wondered how Kristina & Keith would think of this tradition, but before I knew it - Kristina was pointing out houses to us!

Annaism of the day:
"Mama, what present can we get for Daddy this Christmas?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe some socks?"
"Oh no, Mama, I was thinking that we could get him a really BIG hunting gun!"
???

After taking in some beautiful lights from random neighborhoods nearby, we stopped by Little Caesars for their very tempting $5 pizza offer and came home to relax.

Do you go see lights at Christmastime?

Traditions, part eleven

Tis the season for those drinks that warm your heart!

Apple Cider. We didn't drink it while I was growing up - but Tyler is a huge fan, so I now make a point of having some around in December. The flavor can be a bit too strong for me, so I usually pass on it.

Hot chocolate. Seriously. Yum. My favorite kind ever is Walton Feed's brand - you have to order it and it takes like 3 months to arrive. I wish I were kidding. But it's worth the wait! I like to mix some half & half in mine with the hot water and then top with whipped cream. This year I discovered these and I've been putting them in my hot chocolate...SO tasty!

For the inevitable cold (which I currently have, myself) there is no substitute for herbal echinacea tea. It melts away your sore throat and you feel refreshed! I highly recommend it for you singers (and non-singers, too) who want a healthy throat and immune system this winter.

What drinks are a must for you this time of year?

Glasses

Keith went to see the opthamalogist today and informed Tyler that Keith needs glasses. I must admit - I hadn't thought that either Kristina or Keith would wear glasses. I just assumed that their eyes would be better off than mine or Tyler's. ;o) The doc said it would improve his strabismus...anyone else heard of this? I thought it just required a simple procedure...

I am one satisfied mama

Why, you ask? Because my babies each took a 2 hour nap and THEN at 7pm they went to bed tonight. All times they averaged about 30 minutes each to be ready to sleep. Hooray!!! I rocked them both and it was much easier this time. I swaddled both of them pretty snuggly and then rocked them while feeding them a warm bottle and then singing to them. This is the song that I keep singing to them - it just came to my mind automatically, which is interesting because I never sang it to Anna.

Mother, Tell Me the story:

Mother, Tell Me the story that I love to hear. Tell me of heaven and why I came here. Mother tell how you love me and gently speak, and then I'll go to sleep.

Child, I am here. Can you feel that heaven is near? Sleep, sleep, a love watch I'll keep to protect you through the night.

And here are some pictures that I just realized I hadn't posted yet. Enjoy!

Traditions, part ten

1. I want a cat
2. cupcake maker
3. flute
4. choklit milk
5. wii game
6. litle stft cat (in case Santa doesn't bring a real cat)
7. a ril frig (she wants a college size fridge in her room...lol)
8. a new stoking (she claims that hers isn't BIG enough)
9. new bakpak
10. srobaere milk (read: strawberry milk)
11. purple sled
12. jumprop

This paper is supposed to only have 10 slots - but Anna added 2 more (clever girl). I like for Anna to make a list for Santa. Not only is it fun for her - but it helps us out! Christmas is one week before Anna's birthday - so now we have 12 potential ideas for both occasions. It's hard for Anna to have her birthday after Christmas - I try to make it as exciting as possible so she won't feel left out.

Anna before her Christmas program at her school. Isn't she beautiful?

Strength and weakness

We had a 2 hour doctor's visit today with an attachment disorder specialist for Kristina. Dr. Melodie had lots of things to say about Kristina. She said that Kristina has lots of strengths: Kristina is aware of pain and that she turns to us to give her kisses when she falls down; the fact that Kristina is affectionate with us is good; that Kristina has empathy for others; that Kristina was patient while we worked with Keith during the visit. Dr. Melodie complimented us saying that we've been able to successfully develop communication between Kristina & ourselves.

We talked about Keith and Dr. Melodie said that he is showing some clear warning signs of attachment issues. She had me hold him like you would an infant and Keith just flipped out. I hadn't realized this about him. She said that daily I should hold him like an infant and look into his face and try to make eye contact. Keith avoided my eyes and was screaming which made it difficult for me to smile and sing to him - which she said I should be doing during this time. It was exhausting, but very informative.

We asked her about our bedtime struggles and she suggested that we rock both children to sleep and then to put them down for bed. I rocked them each (individually) for naptime today and that went...okay. It took 45 minutes with Kristina and 1 hour with Keith - but they both went to sleep. Then it came time for bedtime. Anna had her Christmas program at school so Tyler went with her to that & I attempted my first bedtime routine involving the idea of rocking them to sleep. Kristina took 1 hour and she transferred well from my arms to bed, no problem. Keith - another story. I rocked him for almost 2 full hours. Eyes wide open. Nothing. Not even a hint of fatigue - except from me. Then I had the thought to stop rocking the chair. Instantly he threw a huge fit - and then I figured it out. Keith LOVES movement - he was enjoying the rocking and it was stimulating his mind, so he wasn't getting tired from the rocking at all. In fact, it was keeping his mind focused and alert. Great. So now I'm trying to figure out how to bond with Keith while putting him to bed without rocking...any thoughts?

Bedtime issues

We are having bedtime issues. Kristina has to have the room completely DARK to be able to sleep - Anna has to have light, so we've been separating them until they're both asleep and then moving into the same bed together. Since Kristina will get up and play in their room - she is the one who is falling asleep in another bed. Well...now she is getting up in that room (master bedroom) and playing with whatever is in there (not a good idea). She cries when we put her to bed - could it be nightmares? Could she just not need a lot of sleep? So tonight we're putting her in the guest room - which is also the tv room and the computer room...lots of breakable things...isn't sounding like a great idea...

Meanwhile, Keith is becoming more mobile than ever. He somehow gets out of his bed - a daybed with a railing on all sides - and is playing on the floor. Last night at 1am - yes, you read that right, and yes, I was awake - I heard something in his room and found him WIDE AWAKE on the floor playing with toys. I don't know what to do. He HATES to go to bed. Kristina HATES to go to bed. Is it possible that they just don't need sleep???

Traditions, part nine

Traditional Christmas letters. I am not sure how we started sending out Christmas letters - because my parents don't, but my grandparents do - so perhaps that is where I get the desire from? I enjoy writing (typing) a Christmas letter to send out to family and friends. We also include a picture of the children. This year was really fun because we have three kids in our family! Plus my very talented sister-in-law Tisha made our Christmas letters for us! Do you send out Christmas letters or Christmas emails? Why?

Getting ready for Christmas

So, Christmas is just next week. How did you teach your children about Christmas when they don't speak English? We're going to get out the Little People nativity set and teach them the story. My brother-in-law, Yury, is from Belarus and speaks Russian. He and my sister, Heather, & their adorable daughter, Iliana, are coming to celebrate Christmas with us this year! It will be nice to have a quiet Christmas this year and I look forward to having Yury explain what Christmas is all about to Keith & Kristina. Oh, and by the way, if you have a baby or know someone who is going to have a baby - my sister, Heather, has a patent pending on these.

Help me out, here

So Keith & Kristina are adjusting really well (thus far) and so that's good, but my daughter, Anna, well, she's not doing so well. She has been having meltdowns almost daily...I'm not sure what to do. She can be extremely overemotional and be upset about very minor things. We're not sure when to coddle her and when to expect more from a 6 (almost 7) year-old. We give her affection and praise every day. We make a point of doing things with her, for her, extra snuggle time, etc. At times I feel like she may be using the adoption as an excuse to get out of doing undesirable things or to gain extra rewards for "having a hard time." I'm not sure what to do. Anyone out there have any ideas? I have considered finding a counselor to talk with her - what are your thoughts?

How long did you wait?

How long did you wait before you got a babysitter and went out for a date?

Traditions, part eight

Yes, I have more traditions! And this one is of my family singing together. Every holiday (especially Christmas) we get out music and perform for each other and sing together. It's my favorite part of Christmas Eve! Our family recorded some Christmas music back in 2004. I didn't realize that I could upload those songs with a link, but my friend, Nicole, did it on her blog - so I thought I'd try it out, too. Enjoy!

p.s. I also put a link on the sidebar of the Christmas music link and a link of other music that I've recorded. Disclaimer: these songs were recorded back in 2004 and I feel that with the training I've had since then that my voice is better now. I hope to record more music in the near future. :o)

Change, indeed

Keith has been anti-baths since we brought him home. So imagine my surprise when my husband shows me this photo:
Is that really my son? I wonder what brought about the change? Regardless, I'm happy it's happening. :o)

Keith had an appointment with a swallowing expert and they said that Keith can swallow just fine, so that's good news. Hopefully within a year or so he will be eating more solid food. :o)

Kristina is doing better - behavior-wise. Tonight I just held her and sang several songs - it calmed her right down. The only question is - why haven't I done this before?!?

Traditions, part seven

O Christmas Tree! I love the theme of red & gold for my tree and each year I try to improve it somehow, by either ornaments or lights, etc. This year I've added my favorite tree accessory yet!

My Christmas Tree

+

Revolving electric Christmas Tree stand

=

(Sorry - it's sideways!)

Any guesses what we watch at night when the kids are asleep? Does your Christmas Tree have a theme? If so, what is it? What is your favorite Christmas Tree accessory?

She likes to move it, move it

So recent news with Keith - his legs are fine. We thought his femurs weren't completely in his hip joints - but recent x-rays show that they are completely normal. So we need to get this boy walking! (when he's ready, of course) :o) Despite Keith not walking (without our help), he is getting around the house more now. In the beginning he would stay in one spot for hours. Now I leave for 5 minutes and he's across the room or after his nap he's UNDER his bed, etc. It's a good sign that he's more comfortable here and that he's already developing in healthy ways.

Kristina went to see psychologist with Tyler on-base today. The psychologist said that Kristina MAY have some signs of RAD, but after doing my own research today - I doubt that she has it. She has already shown many signs of being attached to us as her parents. We did get a referral to some specialists nearby and I am eager to see what they will say and to see we can do to teach her better behavior. She is a button-pusher and at the end of the day, we are tired of our buttons being pushed by this adorable, but difficult child.

Today we brought out the tinker toys. A good time was had by all!

Anna & Kristina playing the "drums".
Drum solo by Kristina!
Maggie - wanting to be where all the excitement was!
Keith - he was actually excited about having his picture taken. Let's hope this will continue and I might get more smiles from him on camera!


The whole family having a great time! And below are some videos of Kristina. The first one is of her playing with a toy she got at McDonald's in Ukraine. She likes to move it, move it - reminds me of my brother, Evan, who likes a movie with that song on it, but I can't remember the name of it...anyhow, the second clip is of Kristina doing the actions for the song: "If you're happy and you know it" - I love it when she says "hooray!", so cute! I think we have another singer on our hands, here! She LOVES music! A girl after my own heart! Enjoy!

Today was

hard. We've been home for 3 weeks now (hard to believe) and most days are better than I imagined that they would be, but today was difficult. Poor Kristina - my patience was very short with her - which usually only happens in the evenings - and things never go well when I'm irritable. I know that we're all adjusting, but I didn't feel like I did as well as I could today as a mama of 3. Anyone else have these days?

Traditions, part five

Christmas-themed movies. There are SO many movies that are popular this time of year. Here are the ones that I try to watch before Christmas comes:

WHITE CHRISTMAS. Danny Kaye is a favorite actor of mine and he reminds me of my step-dad, Bob, who passed away in 1999. Watching this movie helps me feel that he's still with me, somehow. Here's a favorite song from the show:




THE BISHOP'S WIFE. This is a very romantic Christmas story - watch it with your sweetheart. Here's a clip I like: Dudley is an angel and he's helping to write the Christmas sermon.



THE SNOWMAN. This is a recent favorite of mine. This song "walking in the air" is beautiful. I found this on half.com for $5.




A WALT DISNEY CHRISTMAS. I watched this as a child and LOVED it. I still love it. My favorite part is when the doll says "Mammie!" So cute!



MR KRUEGER'S CHRISTMAS. I love this show. It isn't very long and I always cry. I feel close to my Savior, Jesus Christ, when watching this short video. I've posted the entire show right here. It's 25 minutes long, so take a look - you won't regret it.

SMALL WORLD

Today I am beginning to understand the important of making the world of Kristina & Keith small. For some reason it hadn't really dawned on me beforehand. I guess some things come faster than others within the realm of adoption, but today it just "clicked" in my mind that these kids never did much more than stay in the orphanage, so anything more exciting than that could work them up. However, to be honest - it doesn't affect Keith NEARLY as much as it affects Kristina to be out and about. But church was still too long for Keith. Being LDS, we're in church for 3 hours, which is pretty taxing on these young ones. For you church go-ers - how did you manage that in the beginning?

So today I was going to go to the store, but we had planned to go to FHE (family home evening - mondays are set aside to spend family time together and sometimes we combine with another family) at my friend, Nicole's house - so I didn't go to the store. I don't know why - but I'm so proud of myself for recognizing what should have been easily recognizable, but wasn't. Anyhow, this evening at Nicole's house was great. We had soup, rolls, and cookie sundaes. One funny thing - we gave Kristina ice cream. It must have been her very first time having it because she said it was "too cold" and wouldn't eat any more!

Anna with her friend, Celeste
Kristina with a "machina" (car) - she LOVED playing in this. She loves cars and is constantly pointing out all the "machinas" everywhere we go. Perhaps Santa might try to find one of these cars for Kristina...?
Look at that smile! So cute!
Nicole and our Keith. I must say that Keith is really warming up to people in general. When we first visited him in the orphanage, he was very cautious and certainly didn't smile at all. Now he's becoming more friendly and it warms my heart to see him smile more easily. :o) Thanks for a great night, Nicole!

Traditions, part four

Music. It's vital to this time of the year. I love so many different Christmas songs - but I've narrowed it down to my top three.

#1. Tchaikovsky is my favorite composer. He composed The Nutcracker, which I listen to every December. My grandma used to take me and my siblings to see The Nutcracker Ballet every year before Christmas. I grew to love the music and still do to this day. Here's a clip of one of my favorites from The Nutcracker, "Pas De Deux":



#2. Josh Groban's cd NOEL. I bought it last year, but didn't get a chance to really listen to it. I have this year and my favorite song is Little Drummer Boy. Here is a clip of the song. Whenever he sings "I'll play my drum for you", it reminds me of what I can do to honor Jesus Christ and His birth. This song has taken on a whole new meaning for me after hearing Josh Groban sing it. Enjoy:



#3. Mannheim Steamroller. Christmas isn't complete without hearing Mannheim Steamroller's holiday music. Here's a favorite of mine, "Silent Night":



What Christmas music is a MUST for you to listen to each year?

Reuniting with an old friend

My good friend, Valerie, became my friend by introducing me to my son, Keith, through Reece's Rainbow and by recommending our placement agency, About A Child. And the rest, as they say, is history! Valerie adopted Evan from the orphanage in Artemovsk. While she was there with Evan, she met our future son, Keith. She took pictures of him and hoped in her heart that someone, somewhere would adopt him. Little did she know that that person would be me and that I live only 25 miles away from Valerie! God works in mysterious and miraculous ways. My life has been so blessed because of Valerie, words cannot describe my gratitude to her for telling me about this little guy! Tonight we had a little reunion between Evan & Keith - who were cribmates in Ukraine - now friends in the same state. What a small world.

Keith & Evan...not sure why everyone was taking photos of them...

There's a little smile...

Keith puts his hand over his mouth when he's unsure of what's going on...

Seriously, how cute are these guys?!?!

Adorable!

Me holding Evan - he is so snuggly, I couldn't resist!

Group photo, take one

Friends before

Friends forever

From left to right: Keith, Evan, Jacob, Maren, Kristina, Lukas, Anna - holding Josh.