On This Day 5 Months Ago....

Leaving the Orphanage in the VanWaiting to drive to HoChiMinh City Hanging out in the Hotel CanTho

Outside the Orphanage ready to get in the Van.

On the First Floor of the Orphanage Ready to Go.

.....we were leaving the orphanage with our baby girl to attend our G & R where she officially became our daughter in the eyes of the Vietnamese Government. What a wonderful day! So much to be thankful for....My on-line blogger friend, Julie: I wish you the most wonderful G & R Day...a trip of a lifetime & many, many dreams come true. It's a fabulous journey of faith & you are nearing the end of one journey & the beginning of another.....there are no words; you will be amazed! For those of you still waiting...hang in there! The reward is well worth the wait. Happy Thanksgiving everyone a day early; we're off to my Aunt's tomorrow!

It's been a week & dry scalp..help?

Not feeling so great....on the way to the doctor last week....

'When Am I Going to Feel Better Mommy?'

As my mom has said in the past...."It's been a week y'all!" Our little Caleigh bug has had a nasty fever virus on top of the ear infection that was hanging on...she's been pitiful, but finally started to turn the corner yesterday & is feeling better this morning. I think she spoiled me with being so healthy the first few months home! The week has brought out her 'fiesty' side! She's a little toot! She shakes her head "No" now when she doesn't want something (or someone!)

Question: Do any of your kiddos have dry patches on their scalp? She has since we brought her home & nothing I have tried has helped...any ideas? Thanks in advance!

Oh & Nicki....I think she's getting a 'kitchen & play food' for Christmas!! I'm not quite sure yet since she's can't pull up with the braces on....I may wait until after her Dec. 2nd appt. to see if she is moving to the braces only at night.....

Christmas is coming!

Christmas is coming....sick kids or not, I must get busy!!! James & I ordered the boys' 'big' gift from Santa last night on-line....I love on-line shopping by the way. No lines, no rude people, no sick kids coughing on me...just me & my computer. So, here it is....they will be so excited! They played at my neighbor's house the other day & I've heard nothing else since...Wii Wii Wii!!! Should be fun! Anyone have any other good ideas for 8 year old boys? My DH really wants to do dirt bikes this year, but I'm struggling with giving in to that! I just see trips to the ER!

In The Eyes of a Texas Court.....

...Our little Anh is now officially Caleigh Lydia~Grace! How exciting...we now await the arrival of her new birth certificates...should be about 4~6 weeks!

Cuteness & Antibiotics vs Ear Infection Round 2!

Caleigh in VN June 2008...what a difference 5 months can make!

This little girl has stolen our hearts! She is also fighting her second ear infection this month...actually, it's still the same ear & it probably didn't completely go away the first time. We've visited the doctor this morning & are on our 2nd round of 10-day antibiotics. Hopefully we can kick it this time. She had not been sleeping well the last few nights & I had my suspicions....

Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping beauty could not wait for her bed! She fell asleep on the floor drinking her milk which somehow ended up under her leg! This was at 7:15 last night; she turned in early! She is so sweet....asleep & awake...

The Un-Blood Draw....

Well, one of my blogger friends had titled a post "The Blood Draw" recently, so I thought I would title mine the "Un-Blood Draw". For those of you that have been following the TB Test Saga, I will update you.....We made an appointment at the hospital to have a NICU nurse come down to the lab & draw some blood for C's TB Gold Test since her TB Skin Test showed a positive reading. This after 4 nurses at UT Health Center tried 2 weeks ago & failed miserably. OK, so we went this week & I had high hopes & NOT! One NICU nurse, one pediatric nurse & one nurse from Children's Hospital in Dallas who just happened to be in the building later, and 4 sticks on my poor little one = NO BLOOD! I give! No-one else is poking a needle in my baby for a while. Plan B: Have a call into the dr. & will see about waiting 6 months or a year until her little body grows a bit & maybe they can find a vein. After researching the drug therapy for the "just in-case it's Latent TB", this mommy says, 'Um, NO!" I'll update you when we know more....until then....more immunizations in 4 weeks and then she is caught up! Hooray!

Just Because

October 2005 Age 5

November 2008 Age 8

Just because it's hard to snap a picture of my boys anymore without them knowing...They were both reading Bryce's school book on the bar. It seems like we live at the bar....most of my pictures are taken there....it divides the family room & the kitchen....the kids are always there. I may have to take that bar with me if we ever move; too many memories! Here's one of my favorites from a few years ago & one from the other day....they grow up too fast.

13 Months Old Today!

Our baby girl is 13 months old today! Wow! What a difference a few months make! She is growing & changing so fast it's hard to keep up! Her newest is that she shakes her head "no", places things in a straight row on the coffee table & on the edge of the bathtub etc. , motions for whatever she wants with her hand outstretched, always feeds herself , no more bottles at all, off of formula, sleeping through the night now, crawls at lightening speed!, starting to pull up, still naps for a couple of hours each day or 2 one hour naps, she has 6 teeth, she's cutting her 7th tooth, she weighs 16 1/2 pounds & is doing great! These pictures were taken at 7:30 this morning, so she still has a little sleepy look :)

Smushy Banana Anyone???

Would anyone like some smushy banana today??? Or another fruit tomorrow? I have to give a 'shout out' for this wonderful little gadget. You pop in anything that you may otherwise deem a choking hazard & close the top...the kiddo chews & gums it to death and small bits of the food make it through the meshy part & into their mouths. Caleigh LOVES it! Maybe because she is teething right now too.... She especially likes bananas in it. My friend got it at Target I think & it came in a package of two. It makes a bit of a mess, but no more that when she eats normally at her high chair! As of today, she has officially been off of formula & the bottle for a week. Only 2% milk (she won't touch the whole milk) and sippy cups for this big girl! She has also slept through the night since giving up the bottle. She started denying her beloved bottle last Sunday when she got sick & ever since....so, I decided it's a good time to make the switch & she has with no problem. She didn't drink milk at all for almost 4 days & I was a little worried, but I think it was because she was so sick with the ear infection....She lived on Pedialyte & juice for a few days....the doctor checked her ear today when we went in for shots & he said it is much better. Yeah! Next: to the hospital for blood draw for the TB Gold Test this week. Wish us luck!

My Other Good Dog....

I'm not sure why, but one of Caleigh's favorite times of day is when I feed the dogs. She is just fascinated watching them eat & she has examined their food from time to time. I am proud to say she has never tried to eat it! Smart girl! Here she is with our sweet Duke.....He is 2 years old....I am amazed that neither one of our dogs have ever stepped on C...not even by accident. Since I bragged on Bella in the last post, I felt Duke deserved a post too! They are so aware where she is & are so careful when she is under foot. We feel so lucky because I can't imagine a life without pets and she loves them so...Tomorrow we go to get Caleigh's second flu shot & another round of immunizations.

A Girl & Her Dog

If she could talk, I'm sure she would say "This is MY dog!"

The love between this girl & this dog is so sweet! Bella watches out for her, lets her crawl all over her, gets up with me in the middle of the night...every night...and lays by her door while I check on her. If Caleigh cries, she is right there quicker than me most times. We have never owned a boxer before, but I am sold! She's so sweet & crazy at the same time! Don't tell Bella that she is supposed to be man's best friend....these guys are tight! (Now, if I could just get her to quit barking at everyone who comes in our house & to quit digging, she'd be the perfect dog!)

Home 4 Months & Did you Vote?

I'm on pins & needles waiting to see who the next President will be! Did you vote???? I hope so! We're making history either way!

We are happy to celebrate being home 4 months today with our little girl!!!
(Even though she has a raging cold & ear infection..yikes!)

Hope For 100

The East Texas Community is coming together to help promote foster care & adoption. Our little Forever Families Adoption Group is taking on the committee of Post Placement Family Care to provide support & meals for newly adoptive parents. Hope For 100 was started by a couple in our church that adopted from China several years ago. It is their hope & dream to see 100 children placed with forever families this year. It is being promoted at our church & here is the web-site...it is our hope that the program will grow to many churches state wide! I can't wait to see the results and I'm so excited that our family is a part of it! Check out the web-site! www.hopefor100.org

Halloween 2008

Make a Smilebox slideshow I hope you all had a Happy Halloween! You can click Play, then adjust the slider to make the slide show go slower....just press the black arrow to see every photo! (Mom, you can also click each photo to enlarge it on the screen.) We had a short trick-or-treat at a few houses in our neighborhood because both boys had a bad cough. We came home & handed out candy. They were in good spirits & I just couldn't stand to have them miss Halloween. They didn't want new costumes this year; they made their own out of some things we already had here at the house....today everything was packed up for Good Will so we will have some new ones next year!!! I love their creativity though!!! Caleigh had fun I think...she just took it all in...the sucker was a hit! She enjoyed playing with Blake & Bryce when they were in their costumes...she thought that was very funny!

Happy Halloween Day!

My First Halloween Home!

Happy Halloween Day! It's a beautiful sunny day here...supposed to be in the 80's I think. Should turn a little cooler tonight for trick or treating. We may be dressing up & handing out candy since I got a call from the school nurse right after I took these pictures & picked up both boys sick from school. It is a cough that just keeps coming back! Ugh! Hope you all have a Happy Halloween! You can really see Caleigh's new thicker hair coming in on these pictures. It looks much healthier. Just makes for a little scraggly look for now! Oh & I can't get a picture fast enough to avoid the teething drool! All 4 teeth on top have cut through & now she's cutting 2 more on the bottom!

And What does your child do.....

....while you are cooking?

Thank You....I'll do it myself.

It seems that little one likes to do things herself. As of this weekend, Caleigh has decided that I am no longer supposed to "spoon feed" her. She has learned to do it herself & actually does a pretty good job! If I try to take the spoon away from her & help, watch out!!! She also learned to wave this weekend...it's the cutest thing ever!

Meeting my Great Aunts

Playing at my Grampie's & GrandMama's house.

Looking for my GrandMama

My Great Aunt Sue, Me, My Grampie & My Great Aunt Bonnie

Caleigh & I left for my mom & dad's after dropping the boys at school on Friday. They live about 1 1/2 hours away from us. My aunts were both coming in for the day & Caleigh had not met them yet. It was a fun visit & a nice lunch at Red Lobster, then back home in time to pick up the boys! It was quick, but I'm so glad we went. Seeing them brought back loads of childhood memories. One of my aunts lives about 3 hours away from us & the other aunt lives in Tennessee. It was a fun morning & lunch! On another note, C will be having blood drawn on Tuesday morning for a TB Gold Test. This will tell the doctors if her TB + Skin Test is due to the BCG Vaccine or if she has in fact been exposed to TB. Please pray; drawing blood from her little arms doesn't work & they always have to use her hand. It is not fun for anyone...least of all Caleigh.
Caleigh has been our daughter for 4 Months Today!!!!!

Love/Hate

Bryce & his latest creation.

It has been a love/hate relationship for years now. He leaves them for a while, but they always get back together! A boy & his legos....a relationship like no other!

Flower Pictures for my late Papa

These remind me of pictures my Papa would have taken. He loved flowers & he loved photography & always used the old fashion cameras with the fancy lenses! So, here's to you Papa! I wish you could have lived to meet your great grand-daughter! You would have loved to photograph her & your pictures would have definately turned out better than mine!!

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!

On The Front Porch...At least all 3 are looking at me!

I don't think Caleigh finds this as funny as Blake!

Caleigh laughing at Bryce... I love this one!

HAPPY FALL TO YOU ALL!

We met with our attorney today & he is filing our paperwork with the judge to complete Caleigh's adoption in the U.S. Court system which will allow us to obtain her U.S. Birth Certificate & ultimately a Social Security Number...very exciting!

2 years ago today

I also just realized that it was 2 years ago today that we mailed off our Application Part 2 to Dillon. It is hard to believe that it has been that long in one sense & then it seems like a life-time ago in another....to those of you still waiting for your miracle....hang in there! Sometimes these little miracles take a while!

Things they are a changing....

Excited to be crawling!

I Can Do It!

Going to see Bella at the window.

Can you see my two teeth? I'm cutting 6, yes 6 more right now!!!

I'm getting to be such a big girl! This is my mommy's favorite picture from this day....

Caleigh can crawl full speed now like a champ & things they are a changing! She's so curious & into everything. She's playing in my pantry right now beside me as I type with a spoon in each hand. She likes the tupperware lazy susan cabinet & plays in it while I cook. She pulls up on everything & loves to be where the action is. She learned to wave today & was waving at everyone in Sam's Club this morning. We are trying to transition to whole milk, but she still prefers her formula, so I am mixing it 1/2 in 1/2. She wears a true size 9-12 months clothing and her favorite time of the day now is riding to pick up the boys from school. We went yesterday & bought pumpkins, so hopefully I will have some cute Fall Pictures soon of all the kids. I'm still trying for all 3 smiling! It hasn't happened yet!

Ready to Cook???

So, we're gearing up for Fall & Winter weather....a lot more cooking has been going on around here lately. Caleigh wanted to help! Don't worry, I supervised!

She had her 1 year check-up on Wednesday & everything looks good. She's still in the 25-50% on height at 28 1/2", but still below on weight at just 16 1/2 pounds. She will start the transitioning from formula to whole milk now & we're on table foods only. She never would touch the baby food, so we've been on whole foods for a while now. We'll be adding meat to her diet after we transition to whole milk. She started full out crawling the afternoon that we had our doctor's appointment so I spent this morning baby proofing as things have quickly been pulled off of tables etc. since she can pull up onto her knees very well now too. She's even figured out how to crawl with her braces on this morning. The pediatrician is very pleased with her development. She got a flu shot & a TB Test which is reading positive....hope that's just the BCG Vaccine that she got in VN as a baby. We go in tomorrow to have it read.....
Follow-up: The skin test was indeed positive so we were sent for a chest x-ray. It came back clear thank God & we'll talk to the doctor next week. Also, she figured out how to crawl even with her braces on & so she's all over the place all the time now...it's a new world around here!

The Pumpkin Color & The Fridge

I thought I would try the pumpkin colored background on my blog since I still cannot seem to get the cute little borders to work for me. SOOOOO Frustrating!!! Well, I made the 7 days of postings....so now for a little break....but, before I go, I will challenge you: Go to your fridge & take a photo & post it on your blog. You cannot clean it, organize the pictures neatly, etc. before you take your photo....I'll go first. What does your refrigerator say about you??? I obviously need to de-clutter mine, so, bye!

The Birthday Celebration

The Cake

Checking out the Cupcake

The First Bite..

The Aftermath...

Patiently waiting to open presents

Yesterday was fun! 2 Birthdays in one! I didn't get too many pictures since I was busy running around & visiting, but my Sister-in Law took a ton & she'll be downloading to SnapFish soon....Here are my favorites...my baby is 1! (And yes, that is a giant mosquito bite right in the middle of her forehead! The bad thing about living in East Texas!)