Mission to Moldova

Merry CHRISTmas

2011-12-25T23:31:00.000-05:00

Merry CHRISTmas from our family to yours

9 lessons I learned while not blogging the last three months

2011-11-22T22:43:00.000-05:00

So I've obviously been MIA in the blogging world. To catch you up to speed in the DSW (Damon Staci Wesley) household, here's what I've learned in the last three months.

Lesson #1

While I always figured Wesley would break a bone, I never knew it would happen in the middle of the night when he woke up to go to the bathroom. But it did.

We went to one hospital, but they couldn't treat him because he was a child, so he (and me by default) got to take an ambulance ride to a children's hospital. Wes was in a lot of pain, but not too much that he couldn't at least enjoy the ambulance ride a little bit.

He healed amazingly quick - just three weeks!

I love this picture of my brave little guy :)

Lesson #2

My parent's rock. Now this "technically" isn't a lesson I learned because I've always known how great they are (except for when I forgot in my teenage years), but for our adoption benefit garage sale, they worked with me and Damon in our garage in humid, upper-ninety degree heat for three days straight! My mother-in-law was a big help as well.

Lesson #3

There is nothing more adorable than a boy and his dog.

Lesson #4
Wesley loves his Grandma's convertible.

Lesson #5

Dogs can get hives (seriously), but Benadryl and a super-expensive trip to the emergency vet takes care of it right quick.

Lesson #6

Being 33 is the same as being 32.

Lesson #7
Halloween and trick-or-treating is crazy-exciting even for a kid that doesn't like candy. {Wes was a spooky ghost}

Lesson #8

Go Bengals!! {I know this isn't a lesson, but I just wanted to post the picture}

Lesson #9

Don't go so long between blog posts. I need to remember that it's okay to just type a few lines.

So what have you been up to these last few months?

I promise to post a "real" update soon

2011-11-16T21:42:00.000-05:00

So I know I have been remiss, not updating in MONTHS! I promise to post an update by Sunday. I also need to keep in mind that posts don't have to be forever long, a few sentences or photos is okay. I let posts get so behind that the thought of catching up seems too much.

We're all doing well. Still a family of three :( Hopeful that our referral will be coming in the next few months, but that isn't really based on anything (just what I have to think to keep from going crazy waiting).

three years ago today Wesley "officially" became our son - my how things have changed

2011-08-13T21:47:00.001-04:00

Damon and I were just talking at dinner about how much has changed in the last three years. I think pictures can tell the story better than I can.

And don't tell my husband he looks younger, he'll be offended. Not that I found that out the hard way or anything. His response: I was younger!!

just makes me laugh

a man of many expressions

with Mommy (before you say it, I already know I look younger in this picture)

Court Day!! (also called day 31 in Ukraine)

Us after court (Yes, we were sweating a lot. It had to be in the 90s in the building, and Damon was wearing a suit. I had on a dress, but I get greasy easily :)

See...A LOT of sweat! (And yes, it was all the way up to his shoulder and down to his waist)

the court building

the courtroom (If I had been sure we wouldn't get in trouble, I would have gotten a picture inside the cell, but I was too scared)

the judge's seat. We sat at the table in front of her.

and Wesley now

Matt Maher - "Turn Around"

2011-07-27T22:38:00.000-04:00

Have you heard this new song by Matt Maher called "Turn Around"? I seriously cannot get enough of this song!! What do you think?

heaven and hell - conversations with a four year-old

2011-07-11T20:17:00.000-04:00

So maybe this is normal or maybe it isn't, but we talk a lot about death, heaven and hell in our house. And by a lot I mean many conversations daily. We try to tailor the conversations to the understanding ability of a four year-old, which is difficult with this kid's questions. We also try to be biblical correct. I don't want to give him incorrect information, though it would be much easier than the research and remembering I've been doing! I also want to give him age-appropriate information, which can be difficult to gauge. Here's what we've said so far:

- once you go to heaven or hell, you stay there forever

- heaven is a wonderful nice place where you live with Jesus forever

- hell is a bad place (Wes also calls it dangerous) with fire and you are sad forever.

If you know of any good books or resources that might answer his questions, please leave a comment and let me know!!

This morning while driving (obviously it was me driving), Wesley started his daily question and answer session regarding heaven and hell...

Wes: Are there cars in heaven?

Me: I don't know. The Bible doesn't say, but I doubt it.

Wes: Are there cars in hell?

Me: I don't know. The Bible doesn't say, but I doubt it.

a few seconds later...

Wes: Do you wear clothes in heaven?

Me: I don't know, the Bible doesn't say. {are you noticing a pattern here?}

Wes: I hope not.

Me: Why?

Wes: I like being naked.

a few seconds after that...

Wes: Do you eat in heaven?

Me: I don't know, the Bible doesn't say.

Wes: I'm pretty sure you have to eat in hell.

Me: Why?

Wes: Because its hell. {what else could I expect from the kid who HATES to eat?}

Me: (laughing) Okay...

Wes: (in a serious tone) It's not funny.

Me: Maybe a little?

Wes: (an even more serious tone) No, it's not.

Me: (still snickering in the front seat)

Wes: Still not funny, Mommy.

Silly, silly boy...

soccer ends, Uncle Scott visits

2011-07-09T23:18:00.000-04:00

Completely unrelated to anything, but "Big Brother" started this week!! I didn't start watching this show until about tow years ago, but I'm hooked now. Are people that crazy in "real" life?! Surely not.

Wesley's finished his first (and probably his last) soccer season. Maybe its just his age, but he really wasn't interested in kicking the ball, chasing the ball, passing the ball, scoring a goal. In his defense though, he did score a goal on his own team with another player. Don't think I didn't cheer too! I figure he can learn the basics later, or not.

Wesley with his Doda, Pawpaw, and Uncle Scott

Wesley and Uncle Scott (look how much Wes has grown!) The first picture was taken the weekend after we came home from Ukraine.

more fun with Uncle Scott

I'm getting all the vacation pictures ready to post, so get ready!!

updates willl be coming- I promise!

2011-07-04T23:48:00.000-04:00

So many updates will be coming soon! I had trouble getting into my account for the last week, but we're good to go now.

Pediasure to the rescue

2011-06-05T18:26:00.001-04:00

Thank you so much for the encouraging emails and comments I received after my last post. For obvious reasons I was nervous to put myself out there, but I am so glad I did.

We haven't gotten into Wesley's surgeon yet, but we did make the choice to give Wesley Pediasure. Back when Wes had a g-tube, he was given five-six cans of Pediasure each day, so we're using it now to supplement his oral feedings. With him getting the additional nutrition each day, I am stressing less about how much and how often he eats. It hasn't changed his desire to eat, but it absolutely helps me mentally. Damon went to a golf tournament today, so Wes and I went to the pool. I just took Pediasure for him to drink, then we didn't have the typical hot, tired, pool-time fight where he refused to eat and I threatened to take him home if he didn't. We had a meal when we got home, but the drink was enough to keep his blood sugar stable when he was swimming.

I have to be honest, I preferred it when insurance paid for the Pediasure, but thankfully we don't need nearly as much as we used to! And hopefully we won't need it for nearly as long.

I'll post some fun swimming pictures soon!

the hard truth about our "non-eater"

2011-05-29T20:50:00.000-04:00

I don't talk about this much, but Damon and I are really struggling with Wesley's eating (or lack thereof). I'm not sure how to explain the stress (serious understatement) we feel to someone to who hasn't experienced it with their own child. It's even hard for me to comprehend (and I live it every day) because I love eating and the whole experience of eating! It baffles me to try to imagine not enjoying food or the time spent eating with friends and family.

I find myself struggling to enjoy spending time with him due to the thought of a future battle to make him eat or the stress lingering from a past battle. It sounds crazy to type, but in all reality, his eating will often consume my thoughts. But at the same time, I'm numb to it. It doesn't phase me when Wesley makes the most horrible gagging sound at a restaurant, even if it's loud enough to hear three tables over (and yes, others look at you like you are a horrible parent for letting your child choke like that when you don't freak out).

If you do a google search on "a child who refuses to eat," here's the advice you get "wait until he gets hungry enough to eat. Children won't starve themselves." Um, yes they will. We aren't dealing with a picky child in terms of what foods he likes or doesn't like. In all honesty, there aren't many foods that Wes dislikes. I realize how strange that sounds because I'm talking about a child who doesn't eat. I'm not sure his dislike stems from the food so much, but more the act of eating the food. We have tried to make dinner time fun and enjoyable, but somehow it always comes down to us putting the food in his mouth or telling him he can't get up until his food is gone. No longer fun or enjoyable for any of us.

Damon and I have been talking, and we think he might need to go back to feeding therapy. I used to take him once a week, but it was horrible. He would show off and throw food and just misbehave in ANY way possible. I have to say, those were some of the longest hours of my life. I would have difficulty driving home because I was sobbing so hard.

At this point in our eating adventures, I am inclined to think that there must be something physically wrong with Wes that makes eating difficult. My guess is that it is something called dysphagia (because online reasearch has made me a doctor). The basic definition would be that he can't swallow effectively because he can't control the food with his mouth or tongue. It's also possible that his esophagus has narrowed in the area where his EA repair is. All past swallow studies haven't shown narrowing, but at the same time it hasn't been easy to get him to eat and sit still so the doctors could watch the barium go down his throat on an x-ray.

So the plan is to get an appointment with his surgeon as soon as possible and ask him to get us started on the process to taking care of these eating issues once and for all. We would really like to get this taken care of before we bring home his sister (which is taking longer than I had hoped, of course). Please pray for all of us during this time...and especially at dinner time.

Sorry this post is such a downer...I promise to write a happy one next time :)

how time flies

2011-05-26T20:40:00.000-04:00

How does the time get away like it does? Here in Ohio it has pretty much been raining for 40 days and 40 nights...not really, but it is beginning to feel like that. Wesley desperately wants to play outside (Damon and I also want him to), but it is going to take a long time for our back yard to dry out! I keep trying to put off the drainage issues in our backyard (so far I've stalled Damon for two years), but when it rains at more than a sprinkle, I'm reminded of why we need to deal with the issue. Somehow ignoring it isn't making the issue go away. Who would've guessed that? (I can already see Damon smirking at this paragraph...)

My ankle is feeling MUCH better! I am working out again, but so far, I haven't been running. The orthopedic surgeon I went to stated that I should bike for a while before getting into running again. I signed up to run the the Air Force Half Marathon in September though, so pretty soon I'll have to take the plunge and get running again. Turns out that I had five stress fractures in my heel and all the ligaments were severely inflamed. NO idea how I did that much damage just running on an indoor track, so I'm not sure that I could prevent future damage. Except maybe for me not to run anymore...we'll consider after the half marathon.

We're currently still waiting with the adoption...feels like the waiting never ends. We got an email today from our agency stating that accreditation for agencies has been delayed due to political elections. No idea how long this will hold up adoptions in Moldova, but I jsut have to remember that it will all happen in God's time. The current delays aren't a surprise to him and they don't mess up our adoption plans (even though it can feel like that to us). I remember how depressed I was when some political upheaval in Ukraine delayed our adoption about 10 months from when we thought we would travel. I felt like everything was messed up and it wouldn't work out, but what do you know...our son just became available for adoption the day we saw his picture. Nothing was messed up at all.

Damon's boss graciously gave us his personal tickets to a Cincinnati Red's game in April, so Wesley got to attend his first real baseball game.

Want Mom and Dad to get you a baseball at the baseball game? Nope, I'll take a stuffed dog thanks.

I think the game overwhelmed him a bit because there was so much to watch and see. When a Reds player hit a home run, they let off fireworks. After that, Wesley kept asking us when they would do it again. It didn't happen though.

Doda and Pawpaw got Wesley his first pair of binoculars in his Easter basket, and boy was he excited! He wears those things around his neck pretty much every day.

looking through his Easter eggs and gathering all the money (he doesn't like candy, so the eggs had money in them. Sure wish I'd caught onto that racket when I was younger.Naw...I loved candy too much!)

here's a wreath I made out of book pages (after the cast came off my ankle, I did everything domestic I could think of)

Wesley preferred eating the peanut shell versus the peanut at Five Guys Burgers and Fries. We had to stop him thought because it was just too gross.

with Doda and Pawpaw for Pawpaw's birthday (notice how Dad and Wes have the same serious facial expression)

Wesley's first soccer practice

playing goalie in his first game

Wesley's lack of fear worked out pretty well when he was in the goal (it didn't seem to phase him that 4-5 year-olds were kicking toward his face)

a traditional soccer pose (he sure does love his mom taking so many pictures)

"reading" the program to his dog after the Antioch Shrine Circus was in Dayton. This was Wesley's first circus, and he just couldn't get enough of the animals. The acrobats and such didn't interest him much, but as soon as he spotted an animal he got excited.

(Staci side note: obviously I haven't been to a circus since I was much younger, I didn't realize how cruel they can be to the animals! The tigers above kept snarling at the trainer and it hurt me to watch. So if Wesley never wants to go to a circus again, it's fine by me!)

Damon and I had a night out, and we went to downtown Cincinnati and had dinner in the hood at Terry's Turf Club. From the outside this place looked like an antique yard sale gone bad and inside was lit by neon lights. The burgers were HUGE and greasy. Everyone raves about this place, but personally it was too greasy for me. I loved the atmosphere though! We had to wait about an hour to sit in a cramped restaurant at a table with two people we'd never met, but it was a fun date night.

LM&M Railroad in Lebanon had a few weekends where you could ride the train and visit with Curious George. Due to the fact that George is #1 in this house (or at least tied with WordWorld), we had to go. Unfortunately there isn't a picture with the "Man with the Yellow Hat" (George's owner)...when I pointed out the "Man," Wesley's response was "that isn't a man, it's a girl!" Sure enough, the "Man with the Yellow Hat" was actually a woman, so we didn't take a picture for fear of confusing an easily confused kid. I have to say though that I am proud of Wes - I remember that for a long time I was concerned that Wes would never be able to tell the difference between a man and a woman!

I know I have more to say, but it's almost Friday at this point and my brain is fried...

we're still here

2011-04-02T10:31:00.000-04:00

It's been a month since I've written anything, but we're still here. I had the cast on my ankle for three and a half weeks. When the cast came off (after what felt like FOREVER), my ankle started to swell. And swell. And swell. Then came the pain...x-rays show that the break has healed, so it looks like something else is going on. Boo. I have a CT scan Monday morning, so hopefully it shows what is wrong with my ankle. I would like to wear cute shoes again, not just comfortable shoes!!

All our paperwork has been sent to Moldova! It is being translated, then the real fun begins - or not. Reminds me of the song "the waiting is the hardest part, every day you get one more yard, you take it on faith, you take it to the heart, the waiting is the hardest part." (Bet you didn't expect me bust out Tom Petty this morning did you?) Now I'll have that chorus stuck in my head all day.

Damon still loves his new job. Wesley is ready for summer. He desperately needs to get out of the house to wear himself out!! He and Damon have gone out a few evenings and played golf in the backyard, even though it was cold. I watched from inside.

I haven't been taking too many photos. It isn't easy to take pictures when you're hobbling around on crutches. We also didn't do much because I couldn't walk very far.

here's Katie Katherine snuggling with me

Katie loves Damon the most though!

the one time it snowed when I was on crutches

(thankfully it wasn't too much snow)

We went to breakfast at the Golden Nugget in Dayton. I haven't been to this restaurant in YEARS, but it was a great breakfast (or lunch as I had, see below).

one word...genius!!

Once I got my cast off, I've been crazy-domestic. I've cleaned like a crazy person, made crafts, cooked dinner A LOT. Here's a wreath I made from book pages. I've made more than one of these, but I haven't taken a picture of the second one.

here's a fun birthday balloon wreath

homemade cheeseburger macaroni - YUM!

Is anyone else ready for warm weather? I can't stand being stuck in the house much longer!!

facebook wedding invite? I think not

2011-03-02T20:30:00.000-05:00

Now Damon and I are both on facebook, so I frequently scrutinize how differently we approach facebook. For instance, we have differing criteria for accepting friend requests. My main criteria is that I have some idea who you are, Damon on the other hand will accept pretty much all friend requests. {I think he is trying to get as many "friends" as me} I am not so strict as to only accept close friends and family, I have high school friends, college friends, adoption friends, church friends, esophageal atresia friends, etc. I don't want you to get the impression I am too discriminating in my facebook friend acceptance, just that I have some standard.

Unlike Damon, I am not afraid to "unfriend" people, even though I've only done it about ten times. The main ways to be unfriended by me are to frequently curse in your posts or to rant and rave about how horrible republicans are. One more thing, I unfriended someone from high school because she posted what I consider vulgar pictures of herself. She requested me again, and so as not to appear rude, I accepted, then deleted a few days later. So I was still rude, but maybe she didn't notice...

I also feel the need to comment or "like" people's posts. I want people to feel like someone is paying attention to them, so if you post cute pictures of your kids, I am going to at least acknowledge that I saw them. Damon won't comment unless he really has something to say, and I don't know that he has ever "liked" a post.

The point I am laboriously getting to is this...Damon got invited to a wedding on facebook. *seriously* Not only that, but he has NO idea who the guy is!! This would not have happened to me due to my stringent screening process. {who am I kidding? It absolutely could happen to me, but it hasn't yet which is why I can post this} I am all for using modern communication methods, but some things are just too modern. I shudder to think that one day you won't get a beautiful wedding invitation in the mail. I love getting the thick envelope with the gorgeous invitation inside and all the tiny pieces of paper with information related to the big day, in which I inevitably lose the one important tiny paper we end up needing.

Not only is the invite through facebook, it is for a medieval wedding! Let us not forget our foray to the Renaissance Festival last fall. Good times...

Am I the only one who thinks the facebook wedding invite is totally out of line? If you want a present from me, you'll need to send me that paper invite that I so adore. Otherwise, no dice - you'll be celebrating the day without me.

P.S. We are NOT attending the medieval facebook-invite wedding...in case you didn't catch that from my post. Subtlety is not my strong suit.

a cast on my foot...boo

2011-03-01T09:37:00.000-05:00

So, I have a cast on my ankle now instead of the good ol' walking boot. In the interest of looking at the positive side of things, I had my first good night of sleep in weeks (I didn't wake up due to the pain as I have been). I go back in three weeks for an x-ray, and if its healed (God-willing), then the cast will come off. Unfortunately, I won't be able to run the Flying Pig half marathon on May 1st. On Saturday (when the cast was put on), I signed up for the USAF half marathon on September 17th in an effort to show my ankle that it isn't going to keep me down. I have to be healed by then.

Getting around is a bit tricky, but I'm getting the hang of it...slowly. I CANNOT go down the stairs on the crutches though, I have to get down and scoot :) Going up is much easier. Please pray that I don't break any more bones with these crazy crutches :)

Wright State basketball & Rod's Capricorn Inn

2011-02-20T15:14:00.000-05:00

Happy President's Day weekend! We decided to take in a Wright State University basketball game, a little shopping and a fun dinner out. Now today its gross and rainy, and I prefer to stay home, blog and catch up on DVR'd "What Not to Wear."

Here a recap of yesterday:

Wesley has started *loving* to take pictures. They are all blurry, but I posted one below.

Wesley couldn't take his eyes off the wolf mascot.

I mean he LITERALLY couldn't look away.

the object of his affection

making sure I saw the mascot

kicked back watching the game

(oh no, I mean watching the wolf)

For sitting quietly through the whole game, I chased the wolf down for a picture.

Wesley had the camera...

We went shopping after the basketball game (Damon needed a navy suit for work). After leaving the outlet mall, we went in search for this restaurant...I haven't been here in YEARS. We're talking probably since college. My high school boyfriend took me to this place a few times, and I just remember how amazing the hamburgers were. (I wasn't disappointed this time either)

Let's be honest...if you passed this restaurant, it is not likely you would ever stop. At least I wouldn't!! It looks a bit like a trailer or a small house that someone haphazardly added on.

Of course, I had to take pictures of us outside on the car seat benches

Now onto the menu...do you see how cheap a cheeseburger is? $2.35! Where can you get an amazing cheeseburger for that price? Not too many places...

Damon's "Rod burger" and onion rings (total $6.50)

my cheeseburger and mushrooms (total cost $4.50)

Wesley had chicken fingers and french fries, but my picture didn't turn out too well...and you shouldn't get that when you go to Rod's. The total for our three dinners was less than $17.00!!

a stained glass window in the dining room

(makes me think of the 70s)

I had to have my picture taken with Rod

Damon had his taken too

Rod still sings oldies loudly as he cooks, but he doesn't have a cigarette hanging out of his mouth while he is cooking anymore (thank goodness!). The restaurant was PACKED!

So if you are anywhere near Wilmington, Ohio, stop at Rod's Capricorn Inn. (I would even say its worth a trip there!) You will need to call first because he closes the restaurant whenever he feels like it and bring cash to pay for your dinner. (That's something you can do when your food is that good and that cheap)

Enjoy a Rod burger for us!! I am already ready to go back...

Rod's Capricorn Inn

937-382-4357

6660 State Route 730 # 1
Wilmington, OH 45177

(you know a place like this doesn't have a website)

P.S. I post a lot about eating, don't I?

we're still here (& some good news)

2011-02-15T21:55:00.003-05:00

We survived the ice storm here in Ohio. It wasn't nearly as bad as the forecasters made it sound, but I was unable to get up our hill of a driveway in my car. I parked on the street though and stomped through the yard (I had to stomp to break through the ice on the snow). I was glad the next day though when my car was outside because our power went out, so I didn't have to worry about how I would get my car out of the garage. Here are a few shots of the ice taken the night of the storm:

This picture has nothing to do with the storm, but I took it the same night.

And here's some good news...we got our I-800A approval in the mail!!!! It took less than four weeks from our fingerprint appointment. Truthfully, closer to three weeks. Our dossier has been sent to our agency, save this last paper. I am going to head on up to Columbus next week and get it apostilled.

Now for some most unpleasant news (at least for me it is)....I fractured a small bone in my ankle, and I have to wear the walking boot for what will seem like an eternity. I was lucky enough to "get the boot" (HA HA) two years ago when I had a stress fracture in the same foot!! I am praying that this time I don't have to wear the boot for eight weeks.

Now for Wesley's 4th birthday!!

I bought this awesome cake pan to make a train cake. The first two times I made the cake, it fell right out of the pan. What do you know...the one time it matters I cannot scrape the cake out of the pan!!

Damon saved the day by running to Sam's Club and picking up a cake!

A kitty cat from Doda and Pawpaw!

blowing out candles

Can't you see the excitement as Wes is about to enjoy cake?

ANOTHER kitty cat!! What a great birthday! Almost made eating cake worth it...

Wesley with Doda and Pawpaw

Wesley with Grandma

now with Mommy and Daddy

Happy 4th birthday, sweet Wesley! Time sure does fly...

"adopted for life" free dowload

2011-02-01T14:19:00.000-05:00

Have you read the book "Adopted for Life" by Russell Moore? AWESOME book! It isn't so much about adopting children (like I first thought), but it's about how God has adopted us into His family and the part that ALL Christian families are to play in adopting children.

This book is available as a free download right now at http://christianaudio.com/adopted-for-life-russell-moore I realize that you may not be personally interested in adopting children, but this book speaks to everyone and the role that they are to play in adoption. Enjoy!

P.S. Oh yeah - there is some ice, but the main roads are just wet. So far, not bad weather at all!! I'll get out and take a few pictures. I will say though that I couldn't get up the hill that is our driveway, so I did have to park on the street and walk through the yard. A little salt will fix that.

it's just a little snow and ice, people

2011-01-31T21:27:00.000-05:00

Now I've talked about this before, but I live in good ol' Ohio and the weather here can be stinky to say the least - 70s one day and freezing temperatures overnight, snow, ice, rain, humidity all in one week. Living in the Midwest gives the meteorologists plenty of time to determine the weather "headed for us" as it travels across the country. Any time it is going to snow or be ice-y, you would think that the world is coming to an end...the grocery stores sell out of bread and anything in the freezer section. Really? What are you going to do, sit around and eat sandwiches made out of corn and peas? And if the weather is actually bad, you will be able to get out of your house in about two days, so you aren't likely to starve. I estimate that we could live in this house for at least 10-14 days, so no way you would find me at the grocery today!

The horrible, treacherous conditions are headed our way, so I'll let you know how bad it really is. If we're stuck in this house, I'll have plenty of time to blog :)

adoption #2 update

2011-01-24T21:31:00.000-05:00

So I've been meaning to update y'all on where we are in the "baby sisser" adoption process...we were fingerprinted last week for USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration) and we have begun to gather dossier documents.

Damon and I - post fingerprinting

The adoption "rules" (for lack of a better word) will be changing in Moldova effective February 1, 2011. The two biggest changes for us as adoptive parents is that the children will need to be on a national registry for a longer period of time (from 6 months to 12-24 months) and a longer stay in country (from 2-one week trips to 30 consecutive days). There are other changes, but they wouldn't affect us like the above two.

Now as parents who are "in the process" (I LOVE to be able to type that), it is unclear right now whether we will proceed under the old or the new rules. We have sent in enough dossier documents to be registered with the Ministry of Labor, but we could be under the new rules because we haven't accepted a referral. There could also be delays in the processing of adoptions as the new rules are implemented.

As always with international adoption, so much is in flux right now, but just like with Ukraine, God's timing will be perfect :) Ukraine stopped adoptions for about 5 months after we had sent in our dossier in 2007, and I just remember thinking that everything (aka my thoughts on how the adoption should progress) was messed up then. Of course it wasn't because Wesley wasn't available until the day we had our second appointment. I really thought that I knew when it would be best for us to travel to Ukraine, but I was SO wrong!! Besides Wesley not being available, we would have been in Ukraine in the winter - no thanks!!

Please pray for us (mainly Staci) as we (again, mainly Staci) work on the dossier. We have to find a notary who is able to travel to our dotcor's office to notarize our medical papers, and I am not feeling all that motivated to get things done. I think the weather has gotten me down. It has been downright dreary here in Ohio with no sun and inches upon inches of snow. Lately it always seems to be snowing which I enjoy when I am home in my pajamas, but not so much when I have to run errands or drive to work.

I am not going to end on a depressed note, so I do have some good news to share...Damon has been offered a new job!! I have been praying for him to get a new job since we started dating (seriously), which was over 10 years ago. He will still be working in government, but in a job much more suited to his talents and abilities. We are so thankful for this opportunity for him, and I pray he likes it as much as he thinks he will :)

By the way...I FINALLY had time to make a new background!

Happy birthday, Doda!!

2011-01-23T21:54:00.000-05:00

Today is my sweet Mom's birthday! I won't post how old she is today because I'm not looking for trouble... :) At this point in his life, Wesley has almost learned the birthday song, but we're working on it. I practiced with him earlier today and spent a long time explaining the difference between "dear" and "deer." He kept telling me that Doda (his name for Grandma) "is not a deer, she is a girl" and that "Doda does not pull Santa's sleigh." Thank you, Wesley, I was confused. When he sang the song to her on the phone, he sang

Happy birthday to you

Happy birthday to my Doda, dear Doda

Happy birthday to you

So happy birthday, DEAR Doda!! You're the best & we love you!!!

CHRISTmas update in photos

2011-01-07T22:51:00.001-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas! I could babble on about it, instead I'll show our day in pictures.

Wesley saw Uncle Scott's iPad and fell in LOVE!

my parent's fireplace and tree

the gift-opening begins

(notice the tongue sticking out? It was a theme of the day)

Pawpaw rocking out on the new guitar

now Wesley takes a turn

"riding" the new scooter in the box

now using it as it was intended

part of a wonderful gift from my parents (makes me a little teary even looking at it)

Wesley's gift to Doda (looks like my mom, doesn't it? NOT at all!)

Wesley's gift to Pawpaw (words fail me, I have no idea how he picked this out for my Dad except that my Dad likes salt)

I'm sure you are wondering what Damon and I received...Wesley purchased a tiny picture frame for me (about 1" x 2") and Damon received a yellow plastic bracelet with the word "honor" on it

playing with a new train

Katie modeling her christmas wear

the basement Christmas tree on Christmas morning

the train Santa brought Wesley

instead of playing with the train, he sat down to read a book (just like his Momma would do)

Uncle Scott showed Wesley how cool iPhones are

pouting

another new train

showing the train to my cousin's daughter (I LOVE this picture)

the Christmas tree in the family room

our niece's daughter giving Katie a kiss

Wesley having a spot of tea

Katie was able to sleep amid the chaos

Wesley warmed up and started playing with his train

a picture before heading to bed (I cannot believe I didn't get a family picture all day!!)

Merry CHRISTmas!!

2010-12-25T09:20:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to post quickly and wish everyone a very merry CHRISTmas! You know I will have hundreds of pictures to post soon.

I also wanted to let you know that we received notice from USCIS that we have an appointment for our fingerprinting in three weeks! What a great Christmas present :) Hopefully next years though will be a sweet little girl at home with her family!!

an update in photos

2010-12-17T23:33:00.000-05:00

Christmas is next weekend!! What happened to the last month? We've been busy in this house getting ready for CHRISTmas, and we're almost there. Work has been busy for me with year-end stuff, but it's under control (at least I feel like that at this moment, next week may be a different story).

good ol' Ohio weather - at least the snow is beautiful (but then I'm not out shoveling it)

USCIS got our application! We received our Form I-797, so hopefully our fingerprint appointment will be soon :) (by the way - it's awesome now because you can get emails and text messages as your application is being processed. Welcome to the 21st century, government)

How cute is Katie? If you can't read her shirt it says "Sorry Santa, I ate the cookies"

Katie had surgery today to remove a growth on the edge of her eyelid. She did great and she's here sleeping in her lampshade (or Elizabethan collar as the receipt states). I'll post pictures of that sweet little girl later. She's sleeping now, so I won't wake her to take pictures of her that she doesn't want taken.

Yes, Katie has a lot of shirts

Christmas cards went out this week

Wesley got to see Santa! Up until this day, Wes wanted a train from Santa, but when he saw the big guy, Wes decided that a guitar was all he wanted. Damon and I let him know that Santa's elves may have already made him a train...

a little family picture (notice the serious grip on my jaw)

Wes and Mommy in front of one of our four trees

I would really like to post more, but my brain is tired. Maybe later this weekend...

the I-800A is in the mail

2010-12-02T21:49:00.000-05:00

You read that right...our form is in the mail asking US Citizenship and Immigration and the Department of Homeland Security to allow us to bring two children into the United States to become citizens!! I've been waiting to say that for months...literally. When we adopted Wesley, we had to fill out the I-600A. The I-800A (for Hague countries like Moldova) is a MUCH more detailed form than the I600A. We're talking more detailed like 15 pages more detail, but I am happy to do it :)

We can now begin assembling the dossier (the official paperwork we mail to Moldova). Being the detail-oriented person that I am, I think I can get this bad boy together in a week tops. The first dossier we did back in 2007 took a few months, but once you've done it once, you get the system down pat. The trouble is that I will have to wait on the I-800A fingerprinting and approval, so I am not going to rush too much. I plan on getting everything together after Christmas, unless of course I can't wait to get started and begin to feel like I am doing something instead of just waiting - again. (I just keep repeating "patience is a virtue, find it if you can"...you know the rest)

I am going to attempt to explain something that I know a few readers out there in blog-land understand...now I have never met this daughter of mine (she may not even be born yet), but she is just as much my child as Wesley is. I don't tuck her into bed at night or comfort her when she cries, but one day I pray that I will. I pray for her safety, her comfort, her health, her future, but mainly that she has a peace that she isn't going to spend her life without a family. Her mommy and daddy are working very hard to bring her home and we know it will happen in God's time, but it doesn't mean I'm not anxious for it to happen sooner rather than later. I had these same thoughts when we were adopting from Ukraine a few years ago, and I know some of you know exactly what I'm feeling.

here's a favorite Christmas tree ornament (can you tell why?)

I will address the eating issues from our home in the next post; I'm too tired to do it tonight. I worked all day, then I had a nice dinner with my old co-workers. (And by "old" I mean past co-workers not their age, even though they are older than me :)

Happy Thanksgiving and an outdoor photo shoot

2010-11-26T00:29:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving - we did. We had both sides of the family over to our house. I don't know if they all love it, but it's great for us because we don't have to eat two full meals, Wes behaves a bit better at our home, and it forces me to "really" clean (and you know how I like a clean house).

Good news from our house, drum roll please. After 14 months of being "daytime potty trained," we have now moved into conquering the nighttime realm (I'm talking about Wesley here)...I hope I don't have to eat my words, but so far, so good. We aren't going to go sleeping over at someone's house without protection, but he's "safe" in his bed. I have to say that daytime training really happened for us in a weekend (with a boy, no less!), but nighttime has been a long time coming. For so long we had to put Wes in a diaper because he would soak through pull-ups. We were able to move into pull-ups, then wearing underwear to bed until Damon and I went to sleep, then pull-ups for the remainder of the night. The last few months, Wes has wanted to wear underwear all night, and we've been holding back. Who really wants to change a soaking wet bed at 1 in the morning, then again at 4 when you have to be at work at 8? No thanks. I figured he wasn't going to head to college wearing pull-ups, so I didn't stress about it (at least not too much).

I've spent time lately thinking of how blessed I am. I've been getting frustrated with the adoption process, so I have to focus on what I do have, not what I don't. And lets be honest, it is SO EASY to focus on what other people have that you don't, how easy things appear to be for other people, and just how bad things are for you. I mean, having a little pity party for yourself can happen before you even realize what you're doing!!

I went out last week with a few girlfriends and we had a photo shoot with our boys (five boys from 2-4.5 years old). Here are a few favorites of Wesley:

I like this picture, but I need to "fix" the sky with Photoshop (it's all blown out)

look at that sweet smile :)

the bored look

this picture is classic Wes to me...climbing, dirty, and with a stick in his hand

here are all the boys running away from us

(I think they were tired of the picture-taking)