Thursday, January 11, 2018
Friday, March 20, 2015
8 Months Home!!
So, TOMORROW marks 8 months that Leanna Laurie has had her family. It really feels like she has always been here, she fit into our family perfectly from the very beginning. This girl was meant to be a Parker.
She like pizza=Parker
She loves music=Parker
She likes to sleep=Parker
She likes to laugh=Parker
Enjoys spicy food=Parker
She is a cuddle bug just like her siblings
She is ornery, just like her siblings
Yup, she is one of us.
Her English Vocab includes::
Mama
Dada
Joel
Megan
Luke
all done
more
up
milk
ni-night
water
Jesus
no
ouch
And I am sure I am missing some others....
Leanna is so loved and learning so much! She has had a couple phases that haven't been overly delightful, such as pinching, scratching, biting. But, we figure the other 4 went through those phases, and we kept them.....so, there ya go. ha!
Just a comparison photo, this is our girl during pick up trip in July::::
and now????
Happy 8 Months Home, Baby Girl! We adore you!
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Leanna Banana.....
So, It occurred to me tonight, that I have had SEVERAL people recently show concern or ask how we are doing with Leanna.....people worried we are stressed, overwhelmed etc.
This leadeth to a blog post....
First off, thank you. Thank you so much for thinking of us, supporting us, and caring for our family. I am always so Blessed by peoples comments on pictures of our lady, people that ask what new words she has learned......etc. Nothing means more.
But, Honestly.....and I truly mean this......We are doing so, so well!!
Leanna is amazing. Always learning.
When you are preparing to adopt a child, especially an older child, you go through a lot of training. The agency wants you prepared for what will probably happen once you get home.....tantrums, sleepless nights, teaching our child to chew since she probably only received liquids....etc.
This is not Leanna.
I often tell people that in most ways, Leanna is my easiest child. She is perfectly happy playing alone. She sleeps like a dream. She isn't a picky eater. She rarely fusses. She loves a good routine which makes all of our lives flow better. She is a champ.
Now, don't get me wrong, girlfriend is still potty training, she has a massive stubborn streak, and she still likes to strip on occasion. But, she is a kid, and kids test parents. Kids have bad days. Kids can be ornery. There are 5 short Parkers in this family, and they all have equal shares in the ornery, stubborn, silly, and joyous departments......Most days, the leader of the pack in the ornery department ISNT Leanna. Id say Joel and Luke are carrying that title nicely.....good thing they are both so stinkin cute!
I hope this post will help put some minds at ease. We are doing great. We are so Blessed. We are so in love with our Roma Darlin. She is so smart, always learning, always making progress, always happy. She LOVES to sing. She LOVES kisses. She LOVES peanut butter.
This leadeth to a blog post....
First off, thank you. Thank you so much for thinking of us, supporting us, and caring for our family. I am always so Blessed by peoples comments on pictures of our lady, people that ask what new words she has learned......etc. Nothing means more.
But, Honestly.....and I truly mean this......We are doing so, so well!!
Leanna is amazing. Always learning.
When you are preparing to adopt a child, especially an older child, you go through a lot of training. The agency wants you prepared for what will probably happen once you get home.....tantrums, sleepless nights, teaching our child to chew since she probably only received liquids....etc.
This is not Leanna.
I often tell people that in most ways, Leanna is my easiest child. She is perfectly happy playing alone. She sleeps like a dream. She isn't a picky eater. She rarely fusses. She loves a good routine which makes all of our lives flow better. She is a champ.
Now, don't get me wrong, girlfriend is still potty training, she has a massive stubborn streak, and she still likes to strip on occasion. But, she is a kid, and kids test parents. Kids have bad days. Kids can be ornery. There are 5 short Parkers in this family, and they all have equal shares in the ornery, stubborn, silly, and joyous departments......Most days, the leader of the pack in the ornery department ISNT Leanna. Id say Joel and Luke are carrying that title nicely.....good thing they are both so stinkin cute!
I hope this post will help put some minds at ease. We are doing great. We are so Blessed. We are so in love with our Roma Darlin. She is so smart, always learning, always making progress, always happy. She LOVES to sing. She LOVES kisses. She LOVES peanut butter.
Friday, December 12, 2014
Bitter Chocolate
So, you know how bitter chocolate is like 65% bitter and then 35% good? in my humble opinion. Milk Chocolate is the only way to go. I digress....
That was last night for me. Mostly bitter, but a pinch of sweetness.
Leanna is sick. For the first time since being a member of Team Parker.
Last night she threw up. She didn't cry. She probably wouldn't have made a peep had we not been in the next room and heard her awake. Sad reality of orphans, they are pretty good at fending for themselves.
Sean, being the one of us with an iron stomach, cleaned up the mess. I gave our lady a bath, then wrapped her in a bath towel and just snuggled her. Eventually I started rocking, and she fell asleep. I couldn't stop thinking about how this was the FIRST time in her almost 7 years of life where she had a Mommy and Daddy holding her as she felt sick. That rubbed her back as she took a bath. That tickled her tummy as she fell asleep.
After Sean got her a bed set up in our room, I moved her there. She was pretty out of it, but grabbed onto my thumb, like a baby would do to your finger.. Every time I started to move away, her little grip tightened. At one point she started humming in her sleep, which was her way of self comforting in the orphanage. I told her, Mommy is here....and she stopped.
Heck yes I cried.
This morning, she was still feeling icky, but every time I picked her up, she would kiss my cheek before putting her head on my shoulder.
Really heartbreaking on one hand, and such joy on the other.
Thank you God for giving us this amazing gift..... Even if it breaks my heart that it took 7 years for her to get a family. Pray for the orphans, friends. There are so many of them. Last night there were probably hundreds of kids, sick in their beds. Nobody came to them. Nobody cleaned them up. Nobody got them a cup of water. They were alone. This was Leanna just 5 short months ago.
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That was last night for me. Mostly bitter, but a pinch of sweetness.
Leanna is sick. For the first time since being a member of Team Parker.
Last night she threw up. She didn't cry. She probably wouldn't have made a peep had we not been in the next room and heard her awake. Sad reality of orphans, they are pretty good at fending for themselves.
Sean, being the one of us with an iron stomach, cleaned up the mess. I gave our lady a bath, then wrapped her in a bath towel and just snuggled her. Eventually I started rocking, and she fell asleep. I couldn't stop thinking about how this was the FIRST time in her almost 7 years of life where she had a Mommy and Daddy holding her as she felt sick. That rubbed her back as she took a bath. That tickled her tummy as she fell asleep.
After Sean got her a bed set up in our room, I moved her there. She was pretty out of it, but grabbed onto my thumb, like a baby would do to your finger.. Every time I started to move away, her little grip tightened. At one point she started humming in her sleep, which was her way of self comforting in the orphanage. I told her, Mommy is here....and she stopped.
Heck yes I cried.
This morning, she was still feeling icky, but every time I picked her up, she would kiss my cheek before putting her head on my shoulder.
Really heartbreaking on one hand, and such joy on the other.
Thank you God for giving us this amazing gift..... Even if it breaks my heart that it took 7 years for her to get a family. Pray for the orphans, friends. There are so many of them. Last night there were probably hundreds of kids, sick in their beds. Nobody came to them. Nobody cleaned them up. Nobody got them a cup of water. They were alone. This was Leanna just 5 short months ago.
Monday, November 17, 2014
The little things.....
Yup, it has been FOREVER since I blogged on here. Trust me, it is not for lack of things to say. BUT, now instead of waiting for our little lady to come home.....she is here, and I am busy!!!!
I feel like the last couple weeks have yielded some amazing things in the life of our little Leanna Laurie. Now, to you these may seem like "little things"....but, to us? They are huge. life changing. hope giving. Blessings.
Over the last couple weeks, out lady has learned 4 English words. FOUR!
Up
More
Water
bu-bye
Up until now, she was understanding a lot, but really only saying Momma and Dada.....and sometimes would attempt her siblings names. Our next word, Lord willing, will be "please".....as girlfriend doesn't always say these words in her "nice voice." My hope is that if we can add please, it will make the nasty a bit less irritating.
Then today, I saw this:::
I know what you are thinking. WOW!!! ha! okok, why is this pic so awesome? She is sitting up while she plays!!!!! One problem that we have with Leanna is that she wont sit up when she plays, she is always laying down. On the floor, on the couch, on the coffee table....always laying down. She will have a toy with her, but she insists on laying down which means that we aren't working on those core muscles that she really needs to strengthen. Today, not only was she sitting up, but she did it for a long time. Where is she at the moment? laying on my coffee table.....but, still.....progress!!!!
ok, im going to sign off for now, but wanted to update you on our little Bulgarian!
Sidenote:::: I know several of you have commented on our referring to Leanna as "Our Bulgarian" etc. People say that she is now an American and that we shouldn't linger on her sad past. Thanks to a sweet friend sharing a blog with me recently, I discovered that I am not alone in my thinking....
She IS Bulgarian. Roma. Gypsy.
That is her roots. Her heritage. What she is.
Is she an American? Yes! Is she a Parker? Yes!
But, she is also a Bulgarian. From Targovishte, Bugaria. With Roma blood. And I am so proud of who she is. She will always know who she is.
This is my view. And, since she is my daughter, you all have to deal with it. Ha!
I feel like the last couple weeks have yielded some amazing things in the life of our little Leanna Laurie. Now, to you these may seem like "little things"....but, to us? They are huge. life changing. hope giving. Blessings.
Over the last couple weeks, out lady has learned 4 English words. FOUR!
Up
More
Water
bu-bye
Up until now, she was understanding a lot, but really only saying Momma and Dada.....and sometimes would attempt her siblings names. Our next word, Lord willing, will be "please".....as girlfriend doesn't always say these words in her "nice voice." My hope is that if we can add please, it will make the nasty a bit less irritating.
Then today, I saw this:::
I know what you are thinking. WOW!!! ha! okok, why is this pic so awesome? She is sitting up while she plays!!!!! One problem that we have with Leanna is that she wont sit up when she plays, she is always laying down. On the floor, on the couch, on the coffee table....always laying down. She will have a toy with her, but she insists on laying down which means that we aren't working on those core muscles that she really needs to strengthen. Today, not only was she sitting up, but she did it for a long time. Where is she at the moment? laying on my coffee table.....but, still.....progress!!!!
ok, im going to sign off for now, but wanted to update you on our little Bulgarian!
Sidenote:::: I know several of you have commented on our referring to Leanna as "Our Bulgarian" etc. People say that she is now an American and that we shouldn't linger on her sad past. Thanks to a sweet friend sharing a blog with me recently, I discovered that I am not alone in my thinking....
She IS Bulgarian. Roma. Gypsy.
That is her roots. Her heritage. What she is.
Is she an American? Yes! Is she a Parker? Yes!
But, she is also a Bulgarian. From Targovishte, Bugaria. With Roma blood. And I am so proud of who she is. She will always know who she is.
This is my view. And, since she is my daughter, you all have to deal with it. Ha!
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Saddle up your Horses.....
Not gonna lie. This day has been a doozy.
Woke up at 4:45am to leave and have Leanna checked in at Children's Hospital by 6am. Im not a morning person. I don't even try to be anymore. They made me dump my coffee. Not cool, not cool.
Leanna was supposed to be under for 30 minutes, she was under for almost 90. Praise God the Dr called the front to let us know everything was fine, he just needed more time. When he was done, he took us to a corner of the waiting room to try to tell us all of his findings. He found a lot. Readers digest version? There is nothing normal about her eyes. Cataracts. small size. glaucoma. It also appears that one of her eyes quit developing at about 20 week gestation. Not sure if it is a genetic thing or if the birth Momma did something at that time to hinder development. Basically, there was a specialist telling us that he was bamboozled and wanted to send us to ANOTHER specialist to get a second opinion. I am NOT optimistic that there is anything we can do for her right eye, apart from getting glaucoma surgery to keep what vision she already has. Her left eye is completely in Gods hands. The anomaly there may or may not be effecting the optic nerve. if it is, well.....that is daunting.
The good news is that we have great specialists that are going to do whatever they can to help our lady. The other Blessing is that Leanna doesn't care one way or another. God knows the plans He has for her. My Momma hear is scared, but I need to "Let it go"....insert Elsa singing.
When we left the Hospital I got a nasty migraine. It is called no sleep+stress+meanies making me dump coffee= icky pukey migraine for the rest of the day. THEN we had an epic battle with all of our kids at least once tonight. At one point I had all 3 boys whining/crying, Leanna throwing toys, Megan being a drama mama......I totally went out front and sat on the stairs. When it rains it pours, right? Ya, we had us a downpour tonight. I happened to chat with my friend, Jamie, tonight and told her that this day was a trial and that I felt like a mean Mommy. She sent me this::
I needed this. I needed this bad.
A final little tidbit of news, Leanna will probably be starting school this next week. She was invited to be in the life skills program at the Elementary school the boys go to. Its a great school. She will have access to a lot of therapies. They are letting us choose whether she goes whole days or half. We aren't ready for full days. Heck, we aren't ready for half days. But, our little lady needs help getting caught up. And especially if we aren't going to have great vision, she needs to be strong in all other areas.
In the words of Steven Curtis Chapman:
"saddle up your horses, we gotta trail to blaze"
Prayer requests::
A miracle for Leanna, specifically that we can still fix that left eye to get her more vision.
For her school career....and for Sean and I to have peace about her not being with us 24/7.
More specialists mean more medical bills. Just prayer we have peace that God will provide, as He always does.
I would also love to have good interaction with my babies tomorrow. I think we all agreed that this wasn't our best day.
Thursday, August 21, 2014
One month since "Gotcha!"
Yup, its been a month since I walked into that orphanage. One month ago I walked back out holding my daughter. Leanna has known the love of a family for one month....and, frankly, she is completely diggin it!
PEDIATRICIAN UPDATE::: He thought she was pretty cute! Everything seemed good. He laughed that she had a bit of a belly on her, otherwise skinny, body. Could tell she was enjoying her meals. We got her current on shots, she was a trooper. Also had to get blood drawn to check for anemia, HIV etc. He just wants to really know EVERYTHING.....especially since we don't have a family history. Poor baby ...didn't enjoy that part, but she stuck tough. Super stoked that he wants me to deliver a specimen to analyze for parasites (what is with my kids and needing to provide poop samples this year??? seriously grody). girlfriend was ranked "under 3rd percentile" in height and weight. She weighs a whopping 25 lbs now, which means she has gained a couple since we got her here. He asked me if she was "non-verbal." I assured him that when she has something to say, she doesn't hold back. And, sure enough, when he started poking and prodding, he got an earful of Bulgarian. We are pretty sure she wasn't being kind.
EYE DOCTOR REPORT:::: It was all good news. Im not going to even attempt to tell you all the technical stuff, cuz it is confusing. Bottom line, The eye doctor said she will never have 20/20 vision, but that he thinks 20/40 isn't out of the question (which means someday she can drive etc.). Her peripheral vision is great, the cataracts are in the central part of her eyes. We have an apt on the 28th... in Spokane with her ophthalmologist. If you think of the cataract as being a dirty camera lense.....the tentative plan is to get surgery to remove the dirty lense. With adults, you would then put in a new, clean lense....but Leanna isn't old enough for this. So, the plan is to remove the dirty lense, and get her glasses that will allow the brain to start communicating with her eyes. Then, when she gets a bit older, we will get the new, clean lense inserted.
Ok, im off to parent. I will try to be better at updating this blog now that we are getting into a routine. Thanks for all of the prayers, love and support. Trust me, it has been felt and appreciated!!!!
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Thank you.....
I wanted to take a minute to say "Thank you"......to everyone that has supported us financially, prayerfully, emotionally.....
"Thank you" seems so insufficient for the tremendous Blessings that we have received this past year. We have had people pray for us faithfully, I have had people listen to me cry when I have been frustrated, We have had people give their time, talents and treasure....all in the name of "Leanna."
It has been such a humbling experience, but also a powerful one. It is hard to step out and ask for help. Even when it is such a worthy cause, saving a life. It is still hard.
Our family will always remember your generosity. Leanna WILL know about all of the people that loved her from the first day, and who fought along side of us to get her to her forever family.
Someday she will see all of the pictures we have collected. Yard sales, silent auctions, online auctions, a donation table at spa night, tastefully simple fundraisers, bake sales, cake pop fundraiser, desserts donated to sell for "Deva".....the list goes on. She will hear about the person that paid my cell phone bill for the last year, the dear friend who paid my way to ladies retreat, the family members who sewed adorable items to sell to help us raise money.
Blessed Hugely
So, THANK YOU ALL!!! so, so much!
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
A Baby Registry for my Bulgarian Baby
So further proof that I have the BEST family and Friends.....after all of the love and support over the past year+....I have had several friends ask me if I can put together a baby registry for Leanna. Each time I give them "the look" and each time they assure me that they really WANT me to do one.....so......I did. As it is kind of an unusual list, I thought I would explain a bit...
(Those who are completely uninterested should return to their normal Tuesday night viewing)
We registered for a lot of items under the "feeding" category. Leanna is a 6 year old child that is VERY underweight and was never taught to chew food. So.....that should be enough to help you understand the list of pediasure, food pouches, bibs, baby bullet...etc.
pull ups and wipes? Ya, she isn't potty trained. moving on...
TOYS--The list has a couple developmental items (leap pad), cozy coupe, little trampoline (for leg strength).....but you will notice the main theme is Duplo legos and plastic animals.
The Duplo legos are something I hope Leanna will learn to do with her sister. They would be good for sensory and problem solving....and fun to play with Megs.
The plastic animals? Well, I have a friend that just brought her blind son home from Bulgaria (he is precious!)....he LOVES plastic animals and carries them everywhere....so, she suggested that we get some for our Leanna girl.
baby gate....self explanatory.
monitor....self explanatory
tooth brush??? um....you might want an explanation. Leanna has had NO dental care. They don't brush her teeth and we anticipate having a long road ahead as far as fixing our sweet girls teeth and bite.
Something not on the list. CLOTHES! Our goal is to have a wardrobe set up for Leanna, so that sissy doesn't need to share. This is going to be a big adjustment for Megan, and sis LOVES her clothes! We didn't want to create a problem by requiring that Megan give up her things right out of the gate.
Leanna is a size 4/5
She could definitely use::
a swim suit
sweats
jeans
short sleeve shirts
footed jammies
Here is the link
https://www.walmart.com/giftregistry/gr_detail.do?registryId=80541754158
We are so, so, so grateful for all of you. The love you all have for Leanna is such a Blessing. We couldn't have made it through this journey without your love and support!!
(Those who are completely uninterested should return to their normal Tuesday night viewing)
We registered for a lot of items under the "feeding" category. Leanna is a 6 year old child that is VERY underweight and was never taught to chew food. So.....that should be enough to help you understand the list of pediasure, food pouches, bibs, baby bullet...etc.
pull ups and wipes? Ya, she isn't potty trained. moving on...
TOYS--The list has a couple developmental items (leap pad), cozy coupe, little trampoline (for leg strength).....but you will notice the main theme is Duplo legos and plastic animals.
The Duplo legos are something I hope Leanna will learn to do with her sister. They would be good for sensory and problem solving....and fun to play with Megs.
The plastic animals? Well, I have a friend that just brought her blind son home from Bulgaria (he is precious!)....he LOVES plastic animals and carries them everywhere....so, she suggested that we get some for our Leanna girl.
baby gate....self explanatory.
monitor....self explanatory
tooth brush??? um....you might want an explanation. Leanna has had NO dental care. They don't brush her teeth and we anticipate having a long road ahead as far as fixing our sweet girls teeth and bite.
Something not on the list. CLOTHES! Our goal is to have a wardrobe set up for Leanna, so that sissy doesn't need to share. This is going to be a big adjustment for Megan, and sis LOVES her clothes! We didn't want to create a problem by requiring that Megan give up her things right out of the gate.
Leanna is a size 4/5
She could definitely use::
a swim suit
sweats
jeans
short sleeve shirts
footed jammies
Here is the link
https://www.walmart.com/giftregistry/gr_detail.do?registryId=80541754158
We are so, so, so grateful for all of you. The love you all have for Leanna is such a Blessing. We couldn't have made it through this journey without your love and support!!
Friday, June 20, 2014
Making some more stinkin lemonade! Yes, this post might be hostile.
We saw Leanna in January. When we left she knew us, she loved us, she didn't want us to leave.
We had faith that we MIGHT be back in April, but end of May FOR SURE!!! Well, April became May, May became June. We were 100% sure we would be getting our beauty in June. I was literally waiting for an email saying "Go get your baby!!"......well, instead of an email, I got a phone call......when I was at the Court Club getting ready to hot tub with my Bestie. NOT the news we wanted. We had travel dates (yay!)....but they were July 20-30th (sob). Yup, and sob I did. I had a little mini cry with my Bestie at the club, she prayed for me. But, when I got home I fell apart. That is another month that Leanna, our LEGAL daughter, is sitting in an orphanage. That is 4 more weeks that I have to sit here missing her. That week, the 20th-30th, is the week of my Dads Family reunion, that he has been so excited about for so long. I have been waiting to go see all of my family, that I NEVER see, and I would have my new daughter there to introduce to her Franklin peeps.
The whole thing just stinks.
In the past couple weeks we came to the hard decision that I would be traveling WITHOUT Sean on the pick-up trip. Of course people have opinions about this decision, but we know it is the right thing for a few reasons. 1.) If Sean went he would use ALL of his sick and vacation leave....meaning he couldn't be there for upcoming surgeries etc. 2.) After talking with other adopting families, it is important that only one parent is suffering jet lag upon coming home, there needs to be one parent alert and able to meet Leannas needs. (the jet lag in Jan kicked our butts). 3.) Our little Megan needs to have either Mommy or Daddy available. She has been having a lot of stress whenever we leave her (with sitters etc)....she is confused and just needs to have one of us with her.
So, what does this mean. This means that My Bestie, Jaimie, will be traveling with me. She is a great support to me, balances me out, and we are extremely comfortable with each other. So, if I need to have a melt down, or I need her to give me a break, I can ask her and know she is there for me. Initially my sissy was going to be my sidekick, but she will be attending the reunion, as our Dad NEEDS his kids there. :o)
So, there ya go! July 20-30!
one little prayer request, our flights are crazy pricey. We have one more fundraiser tomorrow, really hoping that we come up with what we need.....otherwise I might need to go sell a kidney or something.
We had faith that we MIGHT be back in April, but end of May FOR SURE!!! Well, April became May, May became June. We were 100% sure we would be getting our beauty in June. I was literally waiting for an email saying "Go get your baby!!"......well, instead of an email, I got a phone call......when I was at the Court Club getting ready to hot tub with my Bestie. NOT the news we wanted. We had travel dates (yay!)....but they were July 20-30th (sob). Yup, and sob I did. I had a little mini cry with my Bestie at the club, she prayed for me. But, when I got home I fell apart. That is another month that Leanna, our LEGAL daughter, is sitting in an orphanage. That is 4 more weeks that I have to sit here missing her. That week, the 20th-30th, is the week of my Dads Family reunion, that he has been so excited about for so long. I have been waiting to go see all of my family, that I NEVER see, and I would have my new daughter there to introduce to her Franklin peeps.
The whole thing just stinks.
In the past couple weeks we came to the hard decision that I would be traveling WITHOUT Sean on the pick-up trip. Of course people have opinions about this decision, but we know it is the right thing for a few reasons. 1.) If Sean went he would use ALL of his sick and vacation leave....meaning he couldn't be there for upcoming surgeries etc. 2.) After talking with other adopting families, it is important that only one parent is suffering jet lag upon coming home, there needs to be one parent alert and able to meet Leannas needs. (the jet lag in Jan kicked our butts). 3.) Our little Megan needs to have either Mommy or Daddy available. She has been having a lot of stress whenever we leave her (with sitters etc)....she is confused and just needs to have one of us with her.
So, what does this mean. This means that My Bestie, Jaimie, will be traveling with me. She is a great support to me, balances me out, and we are extremely comfortable with each other. So, if I need to have a melt down, or I need her to give me a break, I can ask her and know she is there for me. Initially my sissy was going to be my sidekick, but she will be attending the reunion, as our Dad NEEDS his kids there. :o)
So, there ya go! July 20-30!
one little prayer request, our flights are crazy pricey. We have one more fundraiser tomorrow, really hoping that we come up with what we need.....otherwise I might need to go sell a kidney or something.
Friday, May 2, 2014
When people just dont get it....just keep swimming.
Don't judge, you seriously need these things in your brain, on repeat, to help you keep from losing your mind. Like last week when we hear that we wont be hearing anything about court for a good week or more. I could cry. I sometimes do. Or I can "just keep swimming."
I have been reflecting on the whole process a lot lately. Some days I am reflecting on the insane amount of fundraisers I have done the last year+. Some days I reflect on the pure magic of adoption, where you take one of Gods precious children and give them a home. love. so much love. To watch over one of His "fatherless" children is an honor....not a burden...an HONOR.
Some days, I admit, I do sit here and puzzle at how some just don't see the beauty in adopting. I hear things like "WHY would you do this?" "Why would you take on a special needs child?" "Is this really fair to your other children?"......I have even had several people deny us financial help because they just don't understand. They COULD help financially, they are able. But, it just isn't important. (Hang with me here, this isn't one of THOSE posts...it is really positive.)....So, just when I start thinking "REAALLY???" ....something always happens. A stranger will donate 2k to our page, a new friend will offer a $50 matching grant, our care group will organize a massive event in Leannas honor, my friend in TEXAS will sell her things online to send us money. Where some will completely ignore, others will embrace. Others will ask us questions, lots of questions....they CRAVE information on our Roma beauty! Granted, most of these people don't feel called to adopt, but they are called to love and to acknowledge these precious children of God. Trust me, I get it. Adoption is not for the faint of Heart. Its just not. You have to fight hard, and sometimes daily, for just one paper to get approved. Unless you have won the lottery, you have to pour hours, often hours each day, to organize fundraisers. You have to go hold, kiss, hug, and adore your child....a child that you will leave in a termite infested building that is under construction. You leave her knowing that she wont understand, and that her caretakers will not help her understand, they are too busy watching their soap operas. I will say it again, this stuff isn't easy. It hurts. you cry. You get completely exhausted.....but, you know what? At the end of the journey you have this amazing, beautiful, happy, daughter. A girl who speaks in slang, and who apparently has a bit of a mouth on her (PTL we don't speak Bulgarian!)....She is a gem, and she is worth it.....and she is just as important to God as any one of us. She isn't broke. She isn't a mistake. She is a perfect gift....she is our daughter.
So, with that said, I am going to go do a yard sale tomorrow (for the millionth time), Im going to keep planning fundraisers, Im going to decorate her room, and find her the special shirts that she likes... and I am going to put together the toys that we bought her. I am going to not be bitter over insensitive comments and actions, because I know that people just don't understand. And, you know what? When everyone meets Leanna, people will get it. Trust me.
Leanna Laurie....we are so close. Mommy is coming!
Need some motivation...
I need some motivation.
Bulgaria?
How about a court date?
PLEASE!!!
NOW!!!
You give us a court date Bulgaria and I will figure out how to book the tickets for the GOTCHA trip this weekend!
Ok??
~Sean
#needmydaughterhomeNOW
Bulgaria?
How about a court date?
PLEASE!!!
NOW!!!
You give us a court date Bulgaria and I will figure out how to book the tickets for the GOTCHA trip this weekend!
Ok??
~Sean
#needmydaughterhomeNOW
Saturday, April 19, 2014
How are the kids doing?
We are often asked how our kids feel about the adoption...
Today our oldest (twin by 20 minutes) was have a rough second half of the day. He was having a hard time being grateful for all the fun we had earlier in the day. We felt like we needed to hear from him 10 things he was grateful for or he would have to go to bed early.
So we sent him to his room to gather his thoughts, he reluctantly came up moments later, still with a tone and he didn't make it to 10 things but you know what the third (and last after food and a house) thing he came up with to be grateful for.......
Leanna.
~Sean
Today our oldest (twin by 20 minutes) was have a rough second half of the day. He was having a hard time being grateful for all the fun we had earlier in the day. We felt like we needed to hear from him 10 things he was grateful for or he would have to go to bed early.
So we sent him to his room to gather his thoughts, he reluctantly came up moments later, still with a tone and he didn't make it to 10 things but you know what the third (and last after food and a house) thing he came up with to be grateful for.......
Leanna.
~Sean
Friday, April 18, 2014
Murphy's Law - God's provision and a bathroom fan
I started out wanting to do a post to see who else has all the sad stories about how Murphy will show up as soon as you have a plan for your money, all the road blocks that get thrown at you when you begin the adoption processes but then I realized two things, one I am sure there are people out there that have had way more major murphy disasters than we have had and two that we have ALREADY overcome these hurdle's!
When we started this process I was of course totally on board but tend to see the quote unquote "realistic" side of things. $20,000 to adopt a kid What?? Why?? We don't have that laying around why do we think we have the right to start this process....well you see I am married to Amy and she is always there to tell me, not us, God. So we continued on and well that $20k isn't $20k its $35,000 plus incidentals (first home study wont qualify in chosen country, trips to immigration in Yakima for fingerprinting, background checks and rechecks, multiple doctors visits and revisit's ect...).
Hey but its ok, we are moving forward, money is coming in, grants are being applied for....oh wait, you don't need a water softener right?? right lets keep going. We got a Grant! and another! and humm that low mile car you bought to drive your family around it, needs tires after less than a year of owning the car and the tires where new? That's right you find out its been in a major wreck and is beyond alignment with out major repairs and may not be safe (thanks carfax you're a real big help). But that's ok we made our first payments toward getting our girl and God is providing for a new car payment as well.
By now Amy is burnt out, ENOUGH PAPERWORK! time for more fundraising, somehow she finds another gear and gets us to our next payments and of course we don't need hot water right?? oh and clean floors? Microwave? Thought we could manage, nahh,,, but once again God provided a few generous friends, cheap walmart stuff and a home depot low interest project loan. LETS GO SEE OUR GIRL!
That did it for me (seeing our girl), no stopping us now. As Amy said in the last post, we just made our final Agency and foreign fee payments (little help from the line of credit) thanks to not our efforts but the efforts of our friends. so as I sat in our bathroom tonight and went to flip on the bathroom fan (eh hem) and it didn't turn on (sorry Amy) it inspired me to write this post. We sit now give or take (depending on flight costs) just $5-6k away from getting our girl (and a court date, GET A MOVE ON MOJ :) ) that means God has provided $30,000 in under a year to help bring us our/his daughter home to us! That is amazing.
I am not worried about the rest, it will come in time, on time. Are we stressed? yes! this process is crazy and our whole family has held together great and now we are ready to put all this aside and rest in the excitement of this new life that will be joining our family, new struggles, new concerns, new even harder challenges, absolutely but you know what? I will be able to hug her......
Sean
Sometimes when I express myself I worry about what tone people take things in so I really don't want to offend anyone so here is my disclaimer "I hope you are getting my tone at this point, truly we are blessed and grateful for all of the trials we have encountered, and as I said in he beginning there are people going through much worse and we are truly truly grateful for the provision God has granted throughout this process."
When we started this process I was of course totally on board but tend to see the quote unquote "realistic" side of things. $20,000 to adopt a kid What?? Why?? We don't have that laying around why do we think we have the right to start this process....well you see I am married to Amy and she is always there to tell me, not us, God. So we continued on and well that $20k isn't $20k its $35,000 plus incidentals (first home study wont qualify in chosen country, trips to immigration in Yakima for fingerprinting, background checks and rechecks, multiple doctors visits and revisit's ect...).
Hey but its ok, we are moving forward, money is coming in, grants are being applied for....oh wait, you don't need a water softener right?? right lets keep going. We got a Grant! and another! and humm that low mile car you bought to drive your family around it, needs tires after less than a year of owning the car and the tires where new? That's right you find out its been in a major wreck and is beyond alignment with out major repairs and may not be safe (thanks carfax you're a real big help). But that's ok we made our first payments toward getting our girl and God is providing for a new car payment as well.
By now Amy is burnt out, ENOUGH PAPERWORK! time for more fundraising, somehow she finds another gear and gets us to our next payments and of course we don't need hot water right?? oh and clean floors? Microwave? Thought we could manage, nahh,,, but once again God provided a few generous friends, cheap walmart stuff and a home depot low interest project loan. LETS GO SEE OUR GIRL!
That did it for me (seeing our girl), no stopping us now. As Amy said in the last post, we just made our final Agency and foreign fee payments (little help from the line of credit) thanks to not our efforts but the efforts of our friends. so as I sat in our bathroom tonight and went to flip on the bathroom fan (eh hem) and it didn't turn on (sorry Amy) it inspired me to write this post. We sit now give or take (depending on flight costs) just $5-6k away from getting our girl (and a court date, GET A MOVE ON MOJ :) ) that means God has provided $30,000 in under a year to help bring us our/his daughter home to us! That is amazing.
I am not worried about the rest, it will come in time, on time. Are we stressed? yes! this process is crazy and our whole family has held together great and now we are ready to put all this aside and rest in the excitement of this new life that will be joining our family, new struggles, new concerns, new even harder challenges, absolutely but you know what? I will be able to hug her......
Sean
Sometimes when I express myself I worry about what tone people take things in so I really don't want to offend anyone so here is my disclaimer "I hope you are getting my tone at this point, truly we are blessed and grateful for all of the trials we have encountered, and as I said in he beginning there are people going through much worse and we are truly truly grateful for the provision God has granted throughout this process."
Monday, April 14, 2014
We are making Lemonade.
Yesterday, we thought we had about 1k to go before being fully funded. We had a massive yard sale this last week, thanks to our Care group at church. MASSIVE. We ended the weekend with an incredible amount of cash to deposit into Leanna's account. We were Blessed. Overwhelmed. God was so good. That was yesterday. Today, we are still Blessed, and God is still good!...and we have a new kind of "overwhelming" happening. We actually need to raise about 7k....not the 1k we had thought. So, you can see how we might need to find a way to make some yummy lemonade our of this incredibly sour situation.
So, I have been thinking today on all of Gods Goodness, and here is the thing....Leanna isn't MY daughter. She is HIS daughter. He is going to provide for her. I also decided to think on all of the insanely good things that have been happening around here, and all of a sudden, it was a lot easier to see Lemonade in the midst of the lemons falling on us.
Here are a few of our Praises:
1. Our yard sale made it possible to send almost 9k to our agency. All fees paid in full, only leaving us with the travel and in Country expenses.
2. Almost immediately after hearing the news, my dear friend Sarah started helping me plan a car wash. (sidenote::: Sarah was just the host of our yard sale!) Mind. Blown.
3. My Mom and my Sister both called almost instantly to offer encouragement and their ideas on how they could try to help us out. My Mom JUST spent the weekend helping with our sale, she is such a precious lady. I love you tons Mom!
4. My Bestie invited me over for lunch today. She always seems to know when I am low and need time with her. Thanks Jaims.
5. My kids. Always providing me with Praises. Tonight both Joel and Ryan asked me what, in my opinion, were some of their best qualities. They both had projects for school. As I was listing off quality, after quality....I realized, wow! I am one lucky Momma. I have incredible kids, and 5 of them to boot.
6. So many of our family and friends have told us they are praying and have also shared our info, in hopes of helping us raise some money. It really does help knowing there are people praying.
So, as you can see, there is a lot to be thankful for. We may feel like we had the rug pulled out from under us (again).....but, at least we had a soft place to land (or maybe that is just my ginormous bootie from all of this stress eating.....HA!....sorry, couldn't help it)
When my Mom was here visiting, we had a conversation about my Dad. I adore my Dad. When we had our father daughter dance at my wedding, we danced to "Wind beneath my wings".....it was a perfect song as my Dad truly is the wind beneath my wings, he is precious. Mom and I were saying that one word that would describe my Dad is "resilient." My Dad has been knocked down several times. He has been hurt a lot. Sadly, sweet and kind people make easy targets. BUT, he has always picked himself up, and pushed forward and never let people change him. He has only become stronger through these situations. Never gave up. So, here is to hoping that maybe I have a pinch of that same resilience. If I can find that in myself, I know that we will keep pushing forward and soon we will reach the goal. Leanna in our arms forever.
G'night friends.
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
Reeses Rainbow-Wish us Luck!
We are Super excited that we have a fundraising page on Reeses Rainbow. Our little sweetheart has been being advocated for by Reeses Rainbow for a long time. We found her on there. Now she has a family, and they are trying to help us raise the funds. Amazing, right??
http://reecesrainbow.org/72940/sponsorparker-3
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
Encouraging news!!
SOOOOO, today my beloved twinsies had eye doctor appts. Turns out they have perfect vision, but that isn't what we are here to chat about.
I already have an appt set up for when we get Leanna home, with this same Dr. that we saw today. Leanna needs to see our eye doctor, to then get a referral to a specialist for her cataracts. While we waited for Ryans eye drops to kick in, I started chatting with our Dr, and told him all about our little Bulgarian Princess. He was so amazing, and is super excited to meet Leanna and help us on this journey. So, here were a couple of the tidbits I took away from our convo::::
1.) Children are able to regain vision/build muscles up until they are 8 years old-ish. Leanna just turned six.....so, this is great news!!! It means that, unless we discover additional problems, there is hope of Leanna regaining some of her vision!!
2.) We found out that we will have to travel to either Spokane or Seattle for her treatment, which isn't a biggie since we have family and support in both locations. BUT, I heard today, for the first time, that Leanna might not be a good candidate for surgery immediately after her arrival home. There are several factors, including her size and development...etc. BUT, that doesn't mean that her little eyes wont be working and improving! If we need to wait on surgery, there is a good chance that Leanna would be fitted with contacts. This way she is seeing better and her little eyes are learning to work a bit harder. Why not glasses? Well, in the good Doctors words, "They would weigh 10 pounds."
Hmmmmm, what else. I think that is most of the news from the Doctor. But, all good and all encouraging. Frankly, I really feel Blessed any time I speak with someone who is excited about Leanna, and anxious to meet her. When this is coming from a Doctor, it just makes me feel confident and at peace.....This guy really WANTS to help. love.
In other news, my amazing Care Group is organizing an epic yard sale to help with some of our final expenses. I really don't even have the words to describe this group of people, but I will try.
Loving
Generous
Supportive
Compassionate
Godly
Family
ok, the list would go on and on....but, you get the idea. So grateful for this amazing group of people!
Lastly, Seans co-workers did a Breakfast Burrito fundraiser at his work, and it was amazing. I really, really appreciate these people. They know Sean, but they don't know the rest of us very well, and they don't know Leanna.....and yet, they gladly gave of their time and energy to do this for us. Wow. So grateful.
Ok my peeps, I need some beauty sleep as I have to go get ANOTHER medical form filled out tomorrow. Apparently my last one is 6 months old and that is a tragedy.....so, im off to be overhauled....again. yay.
I already have an appt set up for when we get Leanna home, with this same Dr. that we saw today. Leanna needs to see our eye doctor, to then get a referral to a specialist for her cataracts. While we waited for Ryans eye drops to kick in, I started chatting with our Dr, and told him all about our little Bulgarian Princess. He was so amazing, and is super excited to meet Leanna and help us on this journey. So, here were a couple of the tidbits I took away from our convo::::
1.) Children are able to regain vision/build muscles up until they are 8 years old-ish. Leanna just turned six.....so, this is great news!!! It means that, unless we discover additional problems, there is hope of Leanna regaining some of her vision!!
2.) We found out that we will have to travel to either Spokane or Seattle for her treatment, which isn't a biggie since we have family and support in both locations. BUT, I heard today, for the first time, that Leanna might not be a good candidate for surgery immediately after her arrival home. There are several factors, including her size and development...etc. BUT, that doesn't mean that her little eyes wont be working and improving! If we need to wait on surgery, there is a good chance that Leanna would be fitted with contacts. This way she is seeing better and her little eyes are learning to work a bit harder. Why not glasses? Well, in the good Doctors words, "They would weigh 10 pounds."
Hmmmmm, what else. I think that is most of the news from the Doctor. But, all good and all encouraging. Frankly, I really feel Blessed any time I speak with someone who is excited about Leanna, and anxious to meet her. When this is coming from a Doctor, it just makes me feel confident and at peace.....This guy really WANTS to help. love.
In other news, my amazing Care Group is organizing an epic yard sale to help with some of our final expenses. I really don't even have the words to describe this group of people, but I will try.
Loving
Generous
Supportive
Compassionate
Godly
Family
ok, the list would go on and on....but, you get the idea. So grateful for this amazing group of people!
Lastly, Seans co-workers did a Breakfast Burrito fundraiser at his work, and it was amazing. I really, really appreciate these people. They know Sean, but they don't know the rest of us very well, and they don't know Leanna.....and yet, they gladly gave of their time and energy to do this for us. Wow. So grateful.
Ok my peeps, I need some beauty sleep as I have to go get ANOTHER medical form filled out tomorrow. Apparently my last one is 6 months old and that is a tragedy.....so, im off to be overhauled....again. yay.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Hello From Our Daughters Home Town
Here is an update!!!
We have LOVED our time with Leanna! every minute. I think both Sean and I came into this visit praying that God would prepare our hearts for whatever condition we were going to find her in. Also, we prayed that our first meeting would be love at first sight for us all. God not only answered our prayers, but Blessed us beyond what we had hoped.
Leanna is a funny, giggly, active, beautiful little lady. When we first set eyes on her as we walked through the orphanage, I was struck by 2 things. 1. she is TINY. and 2. SHE WAS WALKING!!!! What??? We were told she didnt walk. The orphanage staff even told us they had given up on her ever walkinng, and that this was a miracle.
Leanna walked right up to us on that first meeting and gave me a huge hug. She has been like that every visit, not only is she comfortable around us but she LOVES all the attention she is getting!!! There is no question that she has some vision, I have been blown away by it actually. It is obvious that her vision isnt great by any means, but she does have some. Praise God! In regards to her delays, yes, she definately has some. There are a few things about her that we are not sure whether it is vision related or delay related. But, Praise God that both Sean and I have absolutely no doubt that Leanna is our perfect gift....and we are going to love her to pieces.
We got to enjoy 1 visit mon, 2 on tuesday, 2 today (wed) and then tomorrow we will see her in the morning and we will be taking her to get her visa photos taken. Then we have to say goodbye for now. ugh, not lookinng forward to that....at all.
In regards to Bulgaria. We have had a great experience. Our translators are so sweet and fun. We have really enjoyed spending mealtime and our visits with our translater, Sveta. We are also traveling with an Italian couple who are visiting their little boy, so they have a translater too named Plameta, and we love her too. Both translaters speak English really well.
I dont think Sean and I have ever eaten so much!!! HUGE meals and very yummy. This country really likes bread, cheese, cream, yogurt....basically, im in heaven. They also love to eat all kinds of different animal organs, but I can spare you all of that info.
a traditional breakfast here is our equivilent to fry bread....enough said. Im fat and happy.
The ladies at the orphanage seem incredibly kind. Bulgarian people seem kind of standofish as it is rude to engage people you dont know. But, if you engage them and let them know that you want to visit with them, they are so sweet and kind...and soft spoken. My favorite staff member is the orphanage psychologist. She was in most of the pictures we recieved in Leannas referral info. It is so obvous that she loves Leanna.
We have also met the orphanage Dr and Director and both of these ladies were kind, helpful and seems thrilled that we were going to be Leannas family.
We have LOVED our time with Leanna! every minute. I think both Sean and I came into this visit praying that God would prepare our hearts for whatever condition we were going to find her in. Also, we prayed that our first meeting would be love at first sight for us all. God not only answered our prayers, but Blessed us beyond what we had hoped.
Leanna is a funny, giggly, active, beautiful little lady. When we first set eyes on her as we walked through the orphanage, I was struck by 2 things. 1. she is TINY. and 2. SHE WAS WALKING!!!! What??? We were told she didnt walk. The orphanage staff even told us they had given up on her ever walkinng, and that this was a miracle.
Leanna walked right up to us on that first meeting and gave me a huge hug. She has been like that every visit, not only is she comfortable around us but she LOVES all the attention she is getting!!! There is no question that she has some vision, I have been blown away by it actually. It is obvious that her vision isnt great by any means, but she does have some. Praise God! In regards to her delays, yes, she definately has some. There are a few things about her that we are not sure whether it is vision related or delay related. But, Praise God that both Sean and I have absolutely no doubt that Leanna is our perfect gift....and we are going to love her to pieces.
We got to enjoy 1 visit mon, 2 on tuesday, 2 today (wed) and then tomorrow we will see her in the morning and we will be taking her to get her visa photos taken. Then we have to say goodbye for now. ugh, not lookinng forward to that....at all.
In regards to Bulgaria. We have had a great experience. Our translators are so sweet and fun. We have really enjoyed spending mealtime and our visits with our translater, Sveta. We are also traveling with an Italian couple who are visiting their little boy, so they have a translater too named Plameta, and we love her too. Both translaters speak English really well.
I dont think Sean and I have ever eaten so much!!! HUGE meals and very yummy. This country really likes bread, cheese, cream, yogurt....basically, im in heaven. They also love to eat all kinds of different animal organs, but I can spare you all of that info.
a traditional breakfast here is our equivilent to fry bread....enough said. Im fat and happy.
The ladies at the orphanage seem incredibly kind. Bulgarian people seem kind of standofish as it is rude to engage people you dont know. But, if you engage them and let them know that you want to visit with them, they are so sweet and kind...and soft spoken. My favorite staff member is the orphanage psychologist. She was in most of the pictures we recieved in Leannas referral info. It is so obvous that she loves Leanna.
We have also met the orphanage Dr and Director and both of these ladies were kind, helpful and seems thrilled that we were going to be Leannas family.
Church that we walked through.
Enjoying a traditional Bulgarian lunch.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Leanna Laurie Deva Parker
Well, nothing like seeing your blog is on a massive list of Bulgaria Adoption Blogs to motivate you to write a post! I needed the kick in the pants, I have stuff to say!!!
So, we travel THIS MONTH! This is just to visit, but Ill take it! I am trying to be really guarded. I am going to want to pick Leanna up and just snuggle her....but, I am a stranger to this sweetie. Kind of a sad perspective, but it is true. She will probably be scared of us. My prayer is that by the end of our visit, she is warming up to us enough that when her caretakers talk about "Mommy and Daddy coming back for her" she knows who we are, and isn't afraid!
We will be in Bulgaria for 1 week! Just Sean and I. My Lovely mother is going to be here with the other short people. My kids are stoked to have Grandmama come. Frankly, I feel like chopped liver.
So, a couple other tidbits. We DID have a conversation with our agency about our plan to change Leannas name once she is home. Her Bulgarian name is "Deva." We will be giving her the name Leanna Laurie Deva Parker. Our agency was fully supportive and gave us kudos that we wanted to keep her Bulgarian name in the mix. So, WHY are we changing her name? Im so glad you asked! A couple reasons. We really want Leanna to feel like she is, and has always been, a "Parker." Our other childrens names are Joel, Ryan, Luke and Megan. We really wanted Leanna to have a name that fit with the others. ALSO, We try to give our children family names for their middle names. My moms name is "Laurie." so.....Leanna Laurie. One of our sons doesn't have a family name for his middle name and is having a bit of a complex, but that's another story. Silly guy!
I also found out that we are allowed to take pictures at our visit! yaaaayyyyy! BUT, we cant post them on media sites. So, friends and family can request them and we will shoot you an email! Just to answer again the question about why we don't have pictures of Leanna on our blog. If this was a private blog, we would share pictures. However, we choose to keep this open to the public so that others can read our story and also so that people who have donated to our fundraisers can follow along.
So, here is a tease. You get her hair and cute little arms. Cant wait til we can share her photos..... Trust me, she is gorgeous!
Please continue to pray for financial Blessings on our family. God has provided hugely for this adoption. HUGE. But, we aren't quite there.....close, but not quite!!
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