Baby Face

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Happy Two and A Half Birthday Nina Bea!

We had a little backyard get together to celebrate Nina's 2 1/2 Birthday. We figure with a Christmas birthday she was never really going to get her own special day so from now on Nina will have her very own, share with no one, day every June 25th.

It was fun to see how much of the birthday traditions Nina already understands. She sang "Appy day do me" and knew to blow out the candles on her cake and wowie has she figured out the presents thing. She tore wrapping paper like a trained professional. Nina's favorite gift was her PINK cozy coupe-she squealed with delight, clapped her hands and jumped up and down-so cute.

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Just some of the reasons you are the Best Dad Ever

You traveled 6000 miles to find me.

You wear silly hats and bring us to Disney every year (even though lots of times you never get to ride any of the really fun rides)
You put stuff together
You give rides on your motorcycle.
You teach us how to golf
You laugh at our jokes.

You go on the water rides even when Mom says it's too cold.

You teach us how to act in fancy restaurants.

You show us how to tie a tie.

You are a human jungle gym.

You take us to cub scouts and camp on battleships.

You drive thousands of miles to hundreds of hockey games. You are the best coach.

You cuddle.

You swim with us and you make the biggest splash when you do a cannonball .

You bait the hooks and take the fish off the hook and untangle the lines and cheer when we catch the big one.


Happy Father's Day
Love,
Kiefer, Aidan, Nolan & Nina

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Pass the tissue box please (I'm crying again)

I have come to believe that adoption is my life's mission. Perhaps it will only be Nina but I know it will be (along with raising our boys) the most meaningful thing my life will ever account for.

I read this today and it spoke to me.

There are very few healthy babies out there waiting to enter homes. There was, but the need has shifted. There are a LOT of kids needing homes, but the job description looks more like this:

“Amazing child looking for family. Must love me forever. Have ability to be patient and kind, even when puberty hits and I scream, “You’re not my real mom!” Need not be jealous over the fact I miss my first family. In fact, you will need to talk about them regularly, knowing I’m thinking about them, even if they don’t come up in conversation. Must have determination to give me all I need, whether it is therapy, special parenting techniques, lifebooks, contact with my birth family or just holding me when I’m hurting and feeling loss … even though it takes a significant amount of time and effort. Cannot be easily provoked, as you may discover I have attachment issues, and will spend many days trying to make you hate me. It is required you be able to celebrate the good and teach me what is true about myself, even when I believe lies so deeply imbedded within my thoughts and heart. Requirement: must bear all things, believe all things, hope all things and endure all things. You are not expected to be perfect, but you are expected to never give up.”

Do you believe in the God who parted the Red Sea ? Who turned water to wine? What miracles does He need to perform in your heart so that you can commit your life to a child who needs someone to be Jesus to them … by parenting them … even if there are some major difficulties and surprises along the way? This is what these children need. We serve a God who will turn us into just that, if we will let Him.

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Kazapalooza Wooza Wooza

It has taken a bit to compose this post because I went straight from Nashville to a business conference in Miami. Kazapalooza was …interesting. At times fun, often overwhelming and completely chaotic is the best way I can describe our experience. I guess I could have predicted as much given that the whole affair centered around the gathering of more than 60 children, most (it seemed) between 1 an 3 years old.

The best part for me was just being there because it meant I was on the other side of my adoption journey. I wasn’t waiting, hoping to be part of Kazapalooza reunion like I was last year. I was there with my own kaza cutie, a proud and pleased mama. Of course I had also hoped to be able to meet and talk with the families I had grown to “know” thru blogland and facebook. It is weird the sense of familiarity I had with people I never actually met. I hoped to really talk with my Kaz Mama 3Day Walk Mates; women I felt I truly did know. I wanted to pose Nina for pictures with all of her Kaz cousin’s, especially her Ust baby house first family. Unfortunately the realities of socializing with a 2 year old prevailed on my not so well laid plans. We ended up spending a lot of time away from the group allowing Nina the down time and sleep needed.
On the first night we arrived at the meet and greet at 5pm and by 6:30pm (7:30 our time) Nina was back in our room fast asleep.

The next day at the pool party Nina was so cold her blue lips chattered and she cried “hot tub, hot tub”. She loves the water but after several rounds of bone chilling swimming, crying for a towel and rubbing her to get her warm again she was beat. She was napping before lunchtime.

That evening was the dinner and raffle at Dave and Buster’s. Talk about sensory overload. Nina only lasted about 90 minutes before Dart brought her back to the quiet and peace of our hotel room.

Aside from the formal events some of my highlights from Kazapalooza 2009 included...

Nina took her first long car trip and was awesome. I expected it to be awful but it really wasn’t bad at all. She even told us when she needed to go potty and stayed dry the whole trip. We got thru with lollypops and a never ending loop of Kidz Bop tunes.

We got to see Diana and Bob and their son Anton again. Diana and Bob were in Ust with us and I was surprised at the emotion I felt upon seeing them again. My throat was tight and my eyes swelled when I hugged Diana. It was like we had been to war together. All I could think was “we did it, we really did it”.

There was my first sighting of a kaz family I had heretofore only known from blogland. We were on the river boat ride and I looked up at the bridge just in time to see Riley ‘s signature pigtails and Sara smiling and waving warmly towards us.

I finally meet Karen and Glen and Max. They are the Ohio family that traveled to Ust with our same agency the summer before we did. Before I traveled it was Karen who sent me a picture of Nina she had taken that summer. That precious picture of our children together a half a world away created a bond somehow and I was so very pleased to see Karen and to see our children reunited under such happy circumstances.

There was the parade of families; Yoeman’s, Van Sant, Jenkins, Morgan, Elrod, that I had blog stalked for so long and were now in front of me live and in person. Familiar strangers. More beautiful than their blogs could show.

There were tears with Kristen as we watched the Kazapalooza video and reflected on our good fortune and remembered the children still there. Later the next day, unbeknownst to Kristen our daughters posed like best girlfriends. I got to meet in person, (all too briefly); Stacy, Regina, KJ, Sara, Tricia and Jennifer. It wasn’t nearly enough time (or quiet) but it was enough to know I am going to truly enjoy spending 3 days with them this Novemeber.

We got to see Susan and Leeza again. I had to laugh as my kids stalked them all weekend (fair turn about given Susan’s cougar like pursuit of Kiefer J). Nolan called Leeza “Angel-ly” and wished out loud that Nina was as sweet and Nina has asked me every night “where’s Leeza?” I loved watching Nina jump in the pool, fearless as ever. She even started diving for rings. Do all two year olds do this?
Nolan (the sweetest big brother on the planet who loved every baby he saw) sitting with me in the lobby, taking in the antebellum wrought iron balconies asked “is this what it was like when you were a girl?”

Finally Nina who was dressed in the colors of the Kazakhstan flag most of the weekend, who carried her pink toy carry on at all times, who had in her suitcase 7 pair of shooes, 2 swimsuits, 6 pair of sunglasses,8 dresses and a Kazapalooza shirt with mom's hand sewn embellishments was recognized as the “Most Accessorized” Kaza-Kid. Too much? Too funny.

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China Adoption Update

Not really much of an update as nothing is really moving in the world of Chinese adoption. Our log in date of September 13, 2007 is not likely to come up anytime in my lifetime and we have all but given up on ever adopting a child from China but I guess you never say never.

Last week we officially signed up to adopt a "waiting child". The waiting child program seeks families to adopt special needs, unhealthy and/or older children in China. Looking over the list of special needs we were surprised that something as minor as a birthmark would place a child in special needs status. Based on China's criteria Nina would have been listed as a "waiting child". Really? Seriously? Sign me up, I'll take another child as "imperfect" as Nina any day!

Now this doesn't mean we should expect a match anytime soon if at all, just that we have expanded the number of children who might be a match for our family. If I am being perfectly honest I have to admit we are pretty busy and very satisfied with our family as it is today. Whether or not we continue to grow our family is going to be one of those things that is decided upon if and when the time comes. I think if we did nothing we would have in effect closed ourselves off to the possibility of another child. By opening ourselves up to the waiting child program we now trust our future to the serendipity of life and the whims of fate... which come to think of it, is how got at least 2 of our kids.

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