Memories

Tonight, as Memorial Day approaches, I sat and thought about a lot of memories and tried to think back as to how far I could remember certain things. Without getting into the psychology of how our childhood affects us today as adults I wonder just how much Carrington remembers of her first time spent in the orphanage. We don't give enough credit to children as far as their memories go and sometimes some do not give any credit to children with special needs and their memories. Well I sure do and I know there are so many of my friends out there who feel the same way.

Although Carrington is very young, she was without a family for so long and I sometimes find myself sadden to imagine what does she remember about her life. As her Mommy I would like to hope she remembers not one single thing before the day her daddy and I first held her in our arms. I would love to believe she only remembers the past 2 1/2 months of her life in which she experienced love, life, and true freedom. You see, I, for one moment, do not doubt that God was with Carrington each and every day of her life just as He is now. He knew she was to be our daughter and He made sure that happened despite the efforts of the orphanage to keep her hidden from life. I guess I am a sentimental mommy. I want my children to have the memories I do of things like grandparents, camping trips, and silly little things. You see I was blessed to have been given the wind chime you see below by my Grandma. She and my Grandpa bought it down in New Mexico close to 25 years ago. That wind chime hung just outside of their back door for all to see and hear. My Grandfather passed away 19 years ago this month, and just a few years ago my Grandma told me she wanted me to have the wind chime. Brian hung it right out front of our house so those who enter our home can enjoy the sweet sound it makes.

Today Carrington and I sat outside on our front lawn enjoying the breeze and listening to the sweet sound of our wind chime. The music that came from that wind chime took me back to my teenage years and all the memories made with my grandparents. The music is such a sweet reminder of the love my grandparents had for me. The music. Calming, simple, never repeating. As I remembered those times shared with my grandparents, and as Carrington just relaxed in my lap, my heart was completely happy and full. The wind chime just may be Carrington and I's special time together. Chances are Carrington will never get to meet her Great Grandma but as her Mommy I will be sure to share those memories I have with her as well as her siblings and then enjoy making new memories for her to share with others as she grows old.

The day was hot and our a.c. is broken so it was ala natural for this baby; with accessories of course. Just take a look at her arms. Aren't those little arms just a sight to be so thankful for?!
Carrington and Mommy's special wind chime. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for giving me the memories to carry in my heart and mind forever! I love you!

Moving Up

Do you know who is behind this beautiful quilt in this very special crib? 3 guesses. My Aunt Day made this quilt for me so it would match my two sisters. Our big sis likes butterflies so of course we had to have those on our blankets too.
Ok so I will give you a small hint. About 16lbs 1 oz worth.
You should be getting very hot. Does the pillow give it away or is it the beautiful brown hair that reveals it all?
If you guessed Princess Carrington you are right!!! Last night was the first night in my new crib. One of my Mommy's friends from our Down syndrome partnership gave me this really pretty bed. Daddy and my big brother Ethan put it together for me and then set all my animals and blankets in it. They did a pretty good job didn't they? After Mommy put me in my bed Ethan came up and read some of the books I got from friends while I was in the hospital. Then it was lights out for this very tired girl. It is hard work growing and keeping my family entertained. There sure are a lot of them to smile at and laugh for. I slept all night for my Mommy and my Daddy (they liked that). I also still wear my panda watch to remind me of one of my special care givers at Cook Children's Hospital, Miss Carol.

Standing Outside the Fire.

I originally wrote this post for our family blog but wanted to share it with those who read Carrington's blog. I hope it will touch your hearts the way it touched mine. Now if you will excuse me I must go clean the smeared mascara off of my face from crying through the whole message and video:)

OK so here I am about to show my age and well that is okay because I love birthdays and with that comes another year of age. For those of us who grew up in our teenage years with Garth Brooks we know the song Standing Outside the Fire. True, Garth Brooks could be a bit over the top with some of his performances but this video of the song deserves to be over the top, seen by all, and all touched by it. This mom believed in her son, loved her son, and stood behind her son. I have seen this video a thousand times in my youth but my friend recently sent it to me in an email as she was brought to tears just seeing and feeling the message behind the song. I will be the first to admit that I have HIGH expectations for my children and I REFUSE to let anyone or anything change those expectations. ALL of my children will succeed because to me success is not winning a prize or having their name plastered all over America's televisions; no, it is having them try their best, give their best, and they will be the best. Sometimes my expectations can make me tired in that I will stay up trying to figure out how I can help my children or in the case of my Evelyn how I can break through the autism and reach her. It also can cause financial hardship not because they are expensive but because it leads you to rearrange finances to afford help for your child so they can be their very best. This young man in the video is more typical than some would believe. He wanted to play sports, he tried his best, sometimes his parents quarreled over what they thought was best for him and he got out there and did what he wanted not what he was told he could do. I love that!! Quarrels are not always bad because sometimes it is just an expression of one's feelings and fears for their child. It is how it is handled that is the determining factor.

Parents, and I mean all parents, want the best for their child and it is no different for Brian and I. We do not always see eye-to eye immediately on what that may be but with some discussion and understanding we meet each other and together work to make sure the best is there for our 7 children. Brian shows his passion for his children in a different manner than I do but there is no daddy who will fight any greater for these children than Brian would. Every day he goes to work and deals with some less than smart people yet comes home to our house full of loving chaos and jumps right in. I would rather have Brian's love for his family than any material good here on Earth. God has blessed me not only as a mom of 8 children but with the love and support of a wonderful husband. Once I stopped running from God and really just turned to Him and said I was ready to run His way is when my life really took off.

I love each of my children for who they are! Some days I do find myself wishing a certain one could do this or would say that just so I know we are making progress but if I would only stop and perhaps journal just one thing each of them did that day I do believe my eyes and heart would burst open at just how far each of them has progressed. (Thanks, D for that great idea!) Iwill be the mom who will drive my car alongside my child as he or she travels down a new road. I will be the one who stands up to those who tell me or Brian that our child "cannot..." and most importantly I will love them and treasure the fact that God chose ME to be the mom to 8 beautiful blessings! I will be the mom who is standing in the very heart of the fire because I want do not want to survive my life with my children I want to live it!

Watch this video more than once. Watch it first for the message via the pictures and then watch it again and listen to the words. They are not just words to do a country western dance to. These are words to share with those who question our decision for special needs adoption so they too can understand the love every child needs to feel. And finally, listen to the song and the message so we all can open our hearts to a greater understanding of God's love for all He creates.

http://www.kerchoonz.com/video/video/&v=122599842650

It's Crazy Hair Time

Ok so what do you get when you give your littlest one a bath and then let her newest big sister do her hair?

THIS.

I had just finished giving Carrington her bath with her big brother Ethan when Reagan piped up that she would do Carrington's hair. Now I realize this picture may seem funny but it also a testimony to how much Carrington has changed because when she came to America her hair was maybe 3/4 inch long. Anyways, Reagan just adores Carrington and always wants to help take care of her so there she was fixing her little sister's hair and just beaming about it. Meanwhile if you try to read Carrington's mind she is probably saying "really people? I am so glad you all find this entertaining." Reagan is now so trained that she took the picture:) I do believe I see little pig tails in the near future:)

INTRODUCING.....

PROJECT T.L.C.

Project Theo Loves Carrington

http://www.hiskidstoo.org/about-us/our-mission/project-tlc

This year our family journeyed to a place where our lives would forever take a new turn. A turn not foreseen nor forsaken. Brian and I entered what we thought to be the walls of an orphanage to save our daughter but what we really had done was answer God's call to make a difference. Carrington was not our first choice, nor was she our second, but she was the one God had chosen, picked out just for our family. The depth of love that we feel for her is one that is truly God breathed. Carrington, as so many of you know, was in grave condition. We believe God had more of a purpose than just to join us together as family. You see, there are hundreds of children who are still languishing in that very place. They are in desperate need of nutrition, love, medical care and a family. Statistics for these children are so overwhelming they hurt a heart and scare the mind. For all those left behind, Brian and I's heart aches with the type of pain indescribable to others. Indescribable because it is not only the things we saw go on but also the lack there of. Many of people believe we can't save every child but you know what? We sure are going to try!

God has blessed me with the opportunity to join forces with 2 other moms to turn our experiences into a ministry where we can improve the lives of the children with special needs who reside in Crimean communities and orphanages. We desire to share the love Jesus has for each and every one of them so they know they were fearfully and wonderfully made. For many of these children this will be the only love they will feel and how awesome is it that it will be a Christ centered love. They may never see a visitor, feel the touch of human skin, nor learn of their Heavenly Father.

Not every person has been called to adopt. It just happens that us three moms were called to be moms through the gift of adoption as well as birth. We cannot and will not forget the children left behind. Do you have a place in your heart for these children? Money is always a help when it comes to purchasing needed supplies but prayer is a most powerful and exponential tool. Our family knows first hand what prayer did for our Princess Carrington! There are more little Carringtons over there but we do not want for them to go through what our princess nor little ones like Theo went through. Will you help us make a difference?

Both Carrington and Theo barely escaped the orphanage with their very lives and that is only through the love of God and families who chose to answer His call.

Project T.L.C. is proud to announce its maiden voyage into the region of Crimea with our first outreach.

The orphans of mental institutions, women and girls, are often forced to use cloth pads each month. In addition, they frequently run out of laundry and bar soap. Can you imagine? We plan to make a gift of hygiene items, soap and diapers to one specific institution in July. With the Father's help , we will raise $2000 before the end of June so we can deliver this aid

Carrington Reading!

A little love can even teach a girl to read :) You can tell this girl has been read to a time or two by her new family! And she looks so darn cute in these glasses. I'm going to call her Dr. Burman, professor of elementary education studies at Redemption University!

I Can See!

Carrington was very busy with 3 doctor appointments. She started off with a visit to her G.I. doctor where we discussed her feeds and how she is doing with those. Right now Carrington's diapers are absolutely 100% liquid so the dr is going to put her on something that she believes may take care of a possible bacteria in her gut and then in about 10 days we will discuss upping her caloric intake for each feed. Do you want to guess just how much the princess weighs now? She came in at 15lbs 11oz. That is a gain of 1 whole pound since she came home from the hospital and 4 pounds since she arrived in America. Not an expert here but I am guessing food might be a good thing for a child:) Every doctor she saw today commented on just how much she has changed and even fattened up a bit. I told all of them she is like a whole other child than who we brought home. The surgeon looked at her gbutton and said it looked just great so we don't have to see him anymore. Tomorrow she and Reagan will go to the geneticist.
One of her visits was to get her eye glasses. Carrington's eyes are healthy but her vision was limited to only about 9 inches in front of her so we picked out some cute little glasses for her to wear. The little stinker kept them on while the dr and I were looking at her but then the second I put the blanket over her car seat (it was down pouring outside) she took them off! This will be a challenge to keep them on and to keep her sister Evelyn from eating them. At least they have a warranty:) The glasses are made of a rubber material that is totally bendable, kind of like flip flops and I was told about a mom who ran her child's glasses over and they were just fine. I am not planning on running them over but I do have a couple of kids who like to eat just about everything in my house. This mommy thinks she looks so smart in her little glasses:)

HELLO!!!!!! So that is what you look like Mom! (hope she isnt scared when she sees what I look like in the morning)
These will suit me just fine Mommy!!

What A Change!

Just 7 short weeks ago our little Carrington came home a very sick little girl. With enormous amounts of love, prayer, and care she has blossomed into a beautiful flower. She was like a flower that someone had neglected to water, feed, and tenderly care for. So much has changed in this little girl it is so hard to put into words. Each day we see so many changes in her that our hearts just continue to burst with the joy we feel. To most people we encounter they think we have a very cute little 6 month old but if only they knew just where she once was and the miraculous change she has undergone they too would be moved to tears of joy.
Carrington was a part of God's master plan since the very moment of her conception; however, she was not a part of her societies "master race" plan. One where only those with what seems to be perfect bodies and minds would exist. Brian and I thought we were done with our family when we brought the triplets home last year but once again that was "our master plan". Sometimes I find myself playing the "what-if?" mind game of what if we did not advocate for Reagan to begin with? What if we had not asked the social worker to approve us for 2 children? What if we had never talked with Stephanie to find out more information about the children in orphanage 9? And what if we had never listened to God? There would be no Carrington! No little flower blooming and blossoming within our family! No sweet smile that greets her daddy when he lets her lay down on his belly. There would be joy missing from my day. I am so amazed at the intense love I have for Carrington! Of course there is an intense love for this little girl because that is how God intended it to be. When I have a hard day and start to feel sorry for myself I just look at Carrington and realize how good I have life. There was a time when the brand name of something mattered or the "need" to have new things was ever present. Not the case now. Things really began to change within me when our Mason passed away and I realized that despite the best of efforts by the medical personnel and Brian and I, he was not going to come home to our family. Carrington was in much of a similar condition as Mason but she did come home and for that I am so so blessed. I am blessed that she was able to join her wonderful siblings at home where she is loved on and protected.
Taking time to enjoy all of Carrington's moments with her siblings is my new hobby. We get to enjoy the wind which once irritated me for messing my hair, we also get to smell the flowers which grow out of control in our garden. Now that is true living! This new hobby has given us a change in priorities and in daily happenings and that has turned out to be greater than any thing I could have imagined. No, I am not super mom for having 7 children I am just super blessed!

Just letting the wind blow through her hair. Each time it did she would just open her mouth and sing a little song.
Just like the flowers behind her, Carrington has blossomed more than I could have ever imagined!

Happy to Be Me

The Princess is practicing her speech of appreciation for her performance at a future Oscar show.

She just loved sitting up it her bumbo seat. At first she was wondering what this was but then she soon had a front row seat to all the happenings with all of her siblings. Now that is a show!!!

Carrington just kept singing and singing while we all were dancing to music. Music seems to be something she likes especially when her iPod plays Neal Diamond!

Videos

Here are the videos Shelly was trying to post. Sweet Carrington :)

Life at Home

For Carrington life at home is starting to settle into a routine. She has recently started taking little naps during the day like a little one should be able to. Each morning she wakes up just a jabbering and of course practicing her high kicks with her left leg. Reagan is extremely protective of her and does not like for any of the other children to come to close to Carrington. I wonder if she remembers her from the orphanage. We see so much change in Carrington it is so wonderful! For one thing, she is definately the princess of the house and just loves for everyone to talk to her but mostly wants Mommy to hold her. Well, with 6 other little ones at home, housework beyond housework, and homeschooling that is not always easy so in the sling she goes and that way she is feeling held by Mommy and I am getting things done.
Her feeds continue to go well. Right now she gets 4 feeds a day of 150mL and then at night she gets a total of 360mL over an 8 hour time period. Our pediatrician is having Carrington come in every 2 weeks for weight checks. Her first weight check at Dr. T's was 14lbs 11oz. I cannot even begin to tell you how much we are blessed to have the perdiatrician and nurses we do. Each one of them goes way above and beyond what they are there for and see to it that the kids get whatever they need to grow and thrive. This next week we will have all the follow-up visits for the doctors she saw in the hospital. One appointment we had this week was the eye doctor where we found out that Carrington is severely near-sighted and can only see about 9 in in front of her. So guess who is going to be wearing pretty pink glasses soon?!
One of her favorite things to do is just watch her siblings and the day to day going ons. Who needs television when you have 7 children?! We are enjoying just having her sleep every night in her swing next to our bed. That is music to our ears and sweetness to our soul.
I have been trying to upload videos of Carrington because she is just so darn cute but this is me we are talking about. I will keep trying and then you can see what makes me smile.

This little princess' smile can turn any day into the best ever!!

Oh how I LOVE my big sister Madelaine! She always takes good care of me and makes me feel so special.


I am all dressed up for my first time to go to church. Mommy says I am going to love going to church!


On Friday my whole family decided to have family time so we all stayed in our pjs and watched movies. My big sister Madelaine and I just hung out together.


Doesn't every princess have a towel with her initial monogrammed on it?! Bathtime is so awesome because my mommy lathers me up with tons of good smelling soap and then after bath it is lotion time.