tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35366491497885846882024-03-12T20:49:42.742-04:00The BeachumsLife's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-49574876807413498262013-05-28T08:59:00.001-04:002013-05-28T08:59:44.942-04:00So.......We have now been home for a week and a day. The first meeting with the dogs didn't go so well. Dylan screamed and cried for a while. We slowly introduced them to him and he is much better now. He is definitely not a dog fan like Lizzy was, but he is tolerating them. He is still doing awesome. He has adjusted very quickly to his home and room. He has been sleeping on his own. However, last night he and Lizzy slept together. It was so cute to hear them laughing and playing in the bed.<br />
Dylan also really likes clothes. We took him shopping to Carters outlet this weekend. He knows what he likes! He loves button-up plaid shirts. He wanted to wear one today. When I put it on him he said, "Cool". He also played Starfall this morning. He is learning to use the computer and was repeating the letter names and sounds. I don't use a mouse so he has had to learn to use the pad. He kept doing it too hard and it was not moving. After a minute he looked at me and said, "Easy". Then he gently moved his finger over the pad. He is so quick! He really enjoyed it!<br />
Lizzy and Dylan are learning to share and take turns. This is not going so well with Lizzy. She has been the only child for three years and is not used to sharing her things. We haven't bought Dylan many toys, yet. We bought Lizzy lots of toys in the beginning and she played with nothing. We are waiting to see what he really likes to do. He mostly likes to draw and play with the kid's laptop Rheannon gave him of Jackson's.<br />
On Thursday, our friends the Johnstons came and visited. The kids had a blast and so did the adults! It was so nice to do something "normal" after being alone in China for so long. There were seven children here and they were all SO good. It is so nice to see children who are so well behaved. (Good job, Amber and Trent!) They have such good manners as well. Dylan and the kids decided to play Disney Just Dance. It was hilarious to watch Dylan. He was SO serious and was really doing a good job doing exactly the moves he was supposed to do! We recorded it.<br />
On Saturday, Paul took Lizzy to the CVS Minute Clinic because we were sure she had an ear infection. Yep. Time for new tubes :( She saw the DVD National Velvet at CVS and Paul let her buy it. When they got home, we pulled out the couch bed, ate popcorn, and watched it. Lizzy loved it! She was excited that Elizabeth Taylor had the same name as her.<br />
I am excited because the Bacons are coming to visit Wednesday through Sunday! I haven't seen them in FOREVER! I know the kids will have a blast.<br />
I think that's about it. At least we are finally over jet lag. It was rough!<br />
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Love,<br />
Candace, Paul, Lizzy, and Dylan<br />
<br />Life's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-31656891795082849272013-05-20T08:43:00.003-04:002013-05-28T10:23:14.378-04:00Home!So after three plane rides and 30 hours later, we are home! We arrived this morning at 12:30. Steph and Rick picked us up at the airport with welcome signs, food, chocolate, and a toy for each kid. It was so sweet. Dylan and Lizzy did awesome the whole trip. The were both tired, but still really good. Dylan couldn't believe the bookshelf with books in his room was for him. He was shocked. Stephanie told him she was bringing the dogs back today and he said no. We'll see how this meeting will go!<br />
I also have to thank Rheannon. Not only did she go grocery shopping for us, but also made a pasta and put it in the fridge for today. I have the best friend, ever! Sweet Jessica kept the two guinea pigs for us! Without her, I am not sure what we would do with them!<br />
When it was bedtime, Lizzy crawled into bed with Dylan so he wouldn't be scared. It was so very sweet! I read them both Brown Bear, Brown Bear before bed. When I got to the dog, Dylan said, "Pa!" which means afraid. I also asked Dylan what he saw and he said pizza :)<br />
I am so excited to be home! The family is still asleep and I am enjoying quiet time. I can't wait to see how Dylan does at home. Not sure what he will think when we pack up and leave again for IL on Wednesday! Oh, well! I am excited to Dylan off to family and friends :) We'll write again and let everyone know how Dylan likes his new home.<br />
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Love,<br />
Candace, Paul, Lizzy, and DylanLife's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-62429304017956392072013-05-18T08:08:00.003-04:002013-05-18T08:08:58.925-04:00Home!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We finally got Dylan's Visa Friday afternoon! The consulate was so nice and so quick about everything. I have to say I was impressed. Paul had decided at 8:00 pm Friday night that we were going to leave the next day at 5:00 am. I said there is no way! We hadn't packed a thing and the kids were getting ready for bed. Luckily there were flights available for Sunday. We leave at 5:00 am and fly to Shanghai. From there to Newark and then to Atlanta. We get into Atlanta at midnight Sunday night. My sister still said she wanted to pick us up from the airport. We are very excited. She was going to go ahead and have the dogs at our house, but I asked her to wait until Monday. Dylan is not an animal lover and I wanted him to meet the dogs after he's had some rest! Lizzy will go back to school on Tuesday and half day Wednesday. Then we have to repack and drive to Illinois for my sister and brother-in-law's custody case. Whew! It will be exciting for Dylan to meet his family, though. I know everyone will adore him! I will be happy to be back home for good, however, after we get back from IL. I then have to pack up my classroom and move it to my new classroom for next year! I am very excited about changing to second grade. It is a GREAT group of teachers and I am ready for some more maturity from the kids. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">I will miss some friends that we have made here: Jim, Tammy, and girls and Liz, John, and family. It has really helped to have people here who are experiencing the same thing you are. We still keep in touch with the friends we made in Ukraine. Well, time to finish packing, get the kids out of the tub, and get some sleep. We'll be home soon.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;">Candace, Paul, Lizzy, and Dylan</span>Life's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-64793372939196616152013-05-16T08:23:00.001-04:002013-05-16T08:23:14.042-04:00ThursdayWe finally decided today that we were going to get Dylan some clothes. We brought a few things we borrowed from Rheannon and brought some shorts. However, not a lot fit without safety pins. We went to the mall today by our hotel. I almost lost it! There were FOUR ladies trying to help us pick things out. I can't stand that. I finally sat back and let Paul handle it because I was about to scream. They also kept calling Dylan a baby. After we left, with some clothes, I told him to tell people he's not a baby. He is five. He nodded. (He told somebody this later in the day!) It was raining today and Dylan was a little stressed out about getting wet. He was happy we had an umbrella. When we got back from shopping, we received a phone call that we were to have our consulate appointment in 45 minutes! We were so excited. They brought in 100 families and did all the paperwork at once. I thought we were going to be there forever, but we were only there for about an hour and a half. At the end we had the swearing in ceremony with everyone together. If I had tearducts, I would've cried :) Some people did. We still have to wait for his Visa, but they think they will have them by tomorrow afternoon. If this is the case, we will try to leave on Saturday or Sunday! We are very relieved. I am a little sad to leave, however. It will be back to cooking, cleaning, dishes, laundry, etc. It has been a nice break. I will be happy to be in my own bed, however! This evening we went to Pizza Hut to eat dinner. Pizza is Dylan's favorite food, so we thought we would let him pick tonight since he was officially adopted today. He, Lizzy, and Paul are at the pool now, but I didn't feel like going. I think he may be sad that our house doesn't have a pool! :) Will write again soon.<br />
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Love,<br />
Candace, Paul, Lizzy, and DylanLife's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-22384592700895768282013-05-15T01:24:00.001-04:002013-05-15T03:10:58.099-04:00WednesdaySo our trip has been a breeze. Until Monday. There was a white powder scare at the US Consulate office on Monday morning. The office has been closed since then. Our appointment was this morning to finalize our paperwork and apply for Dylan's visa. We are supposed to fly out Friday. That is now changed. Our appointment was cancelled and at this point we have no idea when it will be rescheduled. We are hoping it won't be long. Another couple we talked to this morning said this happened two years ago and they just gathered all the families together and did the paperwork all at one time. We are hoping this will be the case. Lizzy is ready to go home because she said she misses the dogs and guinea pigs. :) <br />
On a happier note, Dylan is doing wonderful. He is so well behaved. I don't know if this is a honeymoon phase or if it's just the way he is. Our other child was so difficult, and sometimes still is, that we were prepared for the worst! However, he is very sharp and very well behaved. <br />
Tonight we are going out to eat with another couple from Delaware. We found a delicious Italian restaurant. We have tried to eat the local food, but are finding it very difficult to find vegetarian Contonese food. Oh, well. We have found some awesome food anyway.<br />
We will keep everyone updated as to when we will be leaving.<br />
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Love,<br />
Candace, Paul, Lizzy, and DylanLife's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-69888245427622437822013-05-14T01:41:00.000-04:002013-05-14T01:54:16.565-04:00MondayWe visited the zoo where we saw primates, big cats, hippos, and birds. The lions were mating and roaring excuberantly! It was extremely hot and humid, upper 80's but according to accuweather.com with humidity the real feel is over 100. John admits it is unseasonably hot and humid, but claims he won't turn on his air conditioning yet, maybe in July! When we went back to the hotel, we had some trouble hailing a cab as it was near a shift change and rush hour was beginning. Once we found a cab, I had a little trouble getting the wheelchair in the trunk (shared with the cab's natural gas tank) and the driver tries to tell me to leave the trunk open and it will be fine, I refuse and sit it the seat with me. I've found they tend to get pretty cranky if you take more than 3 seconds to load in the cab :). We got back to the hotel and went swimming to cool off. For dinner, we opted for peanut butter sandwiches in our room instead of the $70 per person hotel dinner buffet! <br />
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Dylan proudly displays his frog watch!</div>
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Lizzy was happy to find wolves, and Dylan is once again touting his watch!</div>
Life's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-35886945684194073742013-05-14T01:33:00.002-04:002013-05-15T03:12:40.936-04:00SundayWe again gorged ourselves on the breakfast buffet! Before we headed out with John in the afternoon we ate at a Sports Bar Paul found earlier. We enjoyed chickpea burgers, quesadillas, nachos, and some spirits. Then John took us to visit Shamian Island for some shopping. We walked through a beautiful park where locals and tourists were leisurely strolling and couples were taking wedding pictures. We found some traditional Chinese outfits and shoes for the kids and some other souveniers. We enjoyed a great dinner and drinks at the famed Lucy's, then back to the hotel for some swimming to cool off. Dylan has been great; other than protesting about the stinky public bathrooms and blaming the smell on Paul he's had no complaints! <br />
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Exploring the garden area outside the hotel</div>
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Posing with the children statues at Shamian Island</div>
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We enjoyed dinner at the famed Lucy's!</div>
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Enjoying a stroll in the park at Shamian Island</div>
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Life's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-81677054614190603432013-05-11T07:31:00.001-04:002013-05-14T01:31:32.973-04:00Saturday<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We got to Gaunzhou late Friday night. Dylan slept through almost the whole plane ride. He was excited about flying and then just went to sleep! I can't believe our hotel is so nice! There is shopping, bars, restaurants, pools, saunas, spas, etc. It is gorgeous! We went today to get Dylan's medical check-up. Not fun. He screamed when they had to take blood. He kept crying for Mama and Papa and there was nothing we could do about it. It was so sad! Today we took the kids swimming. They have a very nice pool on the fourth floor with lounge beds around the pool. It is really nice. The only thing missing was a bar :) Dylan was scared at first but ended up loving swimming. Tonight we went to a Mexican restaurant. It was pretty good although I wouldn't say it was great Mexican. I did get to have a margarita, however! Dylan, Lizzy, and Paul played pool for a bit. It was too funny because the pool sticks are so much bigger than Lizzy and Dylan! Tomorrow afternoon we are going shopping on Shamin(?) Island. I hope to get some souvenirs and little man some more clothes. No pictures tonight, but I will try to publish some tomorrow. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Candace, Paul, Lizzy, and Dylan</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana;"></span><br />
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Life's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-64533488958915355702013-05-09T02:22:00.001-04:002013-05-09T02:22:40.767-04:00Thursday<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Yesterday we went to a park. It was a very nice park. It had beautiful flowers planted all around and a lake in the middle. There was also a children's section with carnival rides. Dylan got to ride his first rides. He loved it. Last night we ate at the restaurant in the hotel. The waitresses were so taken with Dylan that they scooped him up and showed him to everyone that worked there. We think they asked him if he wanted to go home with them and he got very afraid and said he wanted his Papa and Mama :) Paul and I then decided to get a drink at the hotel lobby. We both ordered double Jamesons. Later Paul told me it cost 30 American dollars!!!!!!!!!!! Guess we won't be doing that again! Lizzy then decided to take a bath in our giant bathtub. Dylan has wanted no part in the bathtub. However, he decided that he wanted to take a bath with Lizzy last night. It was SO cute. They played together and had a good time. Neither had acknowledged each other too much before this. When it was bedtime, Lizzy wanted to sleep next to Dylan. (We all have been sleeping on the king sized bed). They then fell asleep with Dylan's head on Lizzy's chest and her arms around him. It was priceless.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dylan has already started speaking English. Yesterday, as we were getting ready to go to dinner, Dylan said, "Lizzy, ready to go?" Paul and I almost flipped out. He also now says yes and no and right there. He is such a smart boy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today we have hung out in the room. We were supposed to go shopping on a famous street in Tianjin, but it is supposed to rain so we stayed in. The kids have gotten a little stir crazy :) We got to Skype with Nancy and Beach and Stephanie and Rick. Dylan thought it was neat. We leave for Guanzhou tomorrow evening. We have to check out at 11 and our plane doesn't leave until 5:20. I am not sure what we are going to do in between. We'll see. Here are some more pictures to show off my adorable family!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Candace, Paul, Lizzy, and Dylan</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixq6O9OnKSSkIn_7rHtwVaMdzKu7sF4Tc0zdZ-_ZelguF7jbzIzNmegjkt_ambkPhLtYJeOd5bI04GLa9iMTjxk8FUjeSfUdCaBeTqhRkOtsRnoz43XQb9j3Jm56Cw2gK-V5rekxCtaJKs/s1600/IMG_1016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixq6O9OnKSSkIn_7rHtwVaMdzKu7sF4Tc0zdZ-_ZelguF7jbzIzNmegjkt_ambkPhLtYJeOd5bI04GLa9iMTjxk8FUjeSfUdCaBeTqhRkOtsRnoz43XQb9j3Jm56Cw2gK-V5rekxCtaJKs/s320/IMG_1016.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
The woman below is our wonderful facilitator, Linda. She is beyond sweet!<br />
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Life's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-8405966981727669372013-05-07T08:11:00.000-04:002013-05-07T08:11:34.033-04:00<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The last two days have been a blur. Yesterday was good. Dylan has adjusted very quickly! He is very happy and is always joking. He got a little sad last night when it was bedtime. He cried for a few minutes and then he was OK. Today was our day to run around and do paperwork. He waved at everyone he saw. Poor Lizzy was hot and bored all day. The van did not have the air conditioner on and it was HOT. I can't count the number of pedestrians our driver almost hit today.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Dylan has discovered our camera and loves taking pictures. He has taken a million pictures of his feet. He and Lizzy have had some arguments today over the Leap Pad and pens. He loves to draw. At lunchtime, he amused the other patrons at the restaurant by eating with his chopsticks. He looks like he is a year old so they thought this was quite the trick. This evening we walked to Subway for dinner. We had to stop Dylan from eating because he ate way more than he needed and wanted more! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Tomorrow our facilitator is taking us to a park for the kids to play. Will update again, soon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Candace, Paul, Lizzy, and Dylan</span><br />
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Life's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-53514425333133754262013-05-06T03:32:00.002-04:002013-05-06T03:32:41.302-04:00Finally!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today was the big day! We finally got to meet Dylan. I gasped when I first saw him. He is SO tiny. Lizzy is a head and a half taller than him! The 12 month bottoms we brought him are too big! His sense of humor is just like Lizzy's. He is very silly and loves to make jokes. He speaks Chinese as well as any five year old (so we were told). </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hopefully, this means he will learn English quickly.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">He is also extremely intelligent like Lizzy. He figures things out quickly and catches on to things the first time. He likes the name Dylan and called himself that today. He seems to like his big sister, as well. They have already had a few squabbles over some toys and candy! He loves the computer and wants to sit in Paul's lap and type. He also loves listening to music and playing with Lizzy's Leappad. He has quite the sweet tooth and wanted every type of candy we passed at the market. He had never been outside of the orphanage and was quite overwhelmed by the market today. I think the adjustment has already been a little hard on Lizzy. She seemed quiet and a little sad this afternoon. I stayed in and made Dylan take a nap while Papa took Lizzy out for some Papa/Lizzy time. He is quite the eater and ate spaghetti, fried rice, and mashed potatoes all with chopsticks for lunch. He fed Papa with them, as well. He laughs a lot and you can't help but smile when he laughs. He has the cutest smile! Tomorrow we file some paperwork. Hopefully we make it OK. The driving here may even be worse than Ukraine! Will update again soon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Candace, Paul, Lizzy, and Dylan</span><br />
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Life's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-41859956245426616062013-05-04T22:33:00.004-04:002013-05-04T22:33:55.901-04:00<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We made it! The plane trip was good. We all kept ourselves busy with the unlimited number of movies and tv shows. Thanks to Ativan mama enjoyed the plane ride as well! Lizzy didn't really sleep, however, which haunted us later that evening! We then met our facilitator at the airport and loaded a bus to Tianjin. I slept the whole time between the honking and the times we almost hit pedestrians crossing the street. It was a little crazy.Also, the bus driver was very mad at me and kept yelling at me to get off the bus once were stopped. I tried to explain that I was waiting for my wheelchair to get unpacked, but he just kept telling me to get off the bus. We then had to take a Taxi to our hotel. We finally arrived at our hotel in Tianjin and it is very nice. We also had a buffet breakfast this morning with some crazy things on the buffet. Liz and I stuck with doughnuts and noodles. The coffee was crazy strong! I liked it, though. Today we plan on sightseeing Tianjin and exchanging some US currency. We also told Lizzy that we will find a toy for her to give to Dylan tomorrow morning when we met him. Our facilitator will be here at 10:00 am tomorrow to come pick us up to get Dylan! We will continue to update as much as possible. Facebook and our blog is blocked out here. Luckily my awesome husband got VPN to work through Autotrader! Below is a picture of Lizzy posing with a statue at our hotel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Candace, Paul, and Lizzy</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Life's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-46029472296548427352013-05-01T16:39:00.002-04:002013-05-01T16:39:05.109-04:00<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today was my last day of school until August. I am so excited, but also a nervous wreck. Our plane leaves at 7:45 Friday morning. We fly to Chicago and then 13 hours to Beijing. I hate flying so that is the part of the trip that I am least excited about. We will then travel by bus to Tianjin. Our hotel looks nice so I am excited. We will get Dylan on Monday!!! I can't believe that the little boy I have looked at in pictures will soon be our son! I can't wait to love on him and kiss his little cheeks :) Lizzy is excited about swimming in the pool at the hotel and about meeting her brother. After Tianjin, we will travel to Guangzhou. The hotel is even nicer there. I am excited to tour both cities. After Ukraine, this trip will be a breeze! I will continue to blog and give updates and pictures as much as possible. Stay tuned!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Love,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Candace, Paul, and Lizzy</span>Life's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-58964495462806793352012-03-12T10:41:00.004-04:002012-03-12T13:56:33.369-04:00Adoption- "The Last Hope You Have to be a Parent"<span class="Apple-style-span">This blog post is going to veer off of the others a little. I feel the need to clear up some misunderstandings about adoption. </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">1. <b>There are people out there for whom adoption is their FIRST choice for being parents *gasp*!</b> </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Paul and I, as far as we know, are both perfectly capable of conceiving a child with our DNA. However, a.) neither one of us wanted a baby. b.) We felt it wrong to bring a new child into the world when there are MILLIONS of orphans just waiting for a family to bring them home. c.) We felt strongly about adopting an LP child that so many other adopting parents would not even dream of adopting. <b>p.s. Children with dwarfism are not mentally handicapped :)</b> d.) The thought of pregnancy makes me ill.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">2. <b>We love our child as much as any child that would share our DNA. </b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">a.)Our child may not share our genes, but she will share our love of music, books, sense of humor, thoughts, gestures, etc. b.) Your husband and bestie don't share your DNA, but you love them, right? c.) Yes, she is our REAL child.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">3. <b>Yes, the paperwork is a pain in the $#@@. However, I think every person thinking about being a parent</b><b> should have to go through the same process.</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">It would cut down on the *idiots who reproduce over and over again.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">*By idiots I mean the people who can not afford one child nor do they take care of this child, but continue to have five or six more! NOT the wonderful parents who have a big family and love and take care of their kids.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">4.<b> Yes, adoption is expensive, but there are grants, loans, tax breaks etc. that greatly help with the cost.</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Not to mention it is totally worth it and none of your business how much it cost. :)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">5. <b>"Why didn't you adopt in America? There are children here who need homes."</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">LPs in other countries have ZERO chance of doing anything with their lives. After a certain age they are placed in mental institutions and live their lives there with no education or any hope of getting out. Also, there aren't any older LP children here. Mostly babies for adoption.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Hopefully, this educates a little more on adoption :)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Candace </span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></b></div><div><b><br /></b></div>Life's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-1802632124015673192012-01-06T08:51:00.002-05:002012-01-06T08:57:36.344-05:00Here we go again!!!...............After a year and a half of settling in with Lizzy, we have decided to adopt again! Lizzy has brought us so much joy that we feel we have even more love to give another child. Again, we felt very strongly about adopting a child with dwarfism. Thanks to my friend, Amber, we are in the process of adopting a little boy from China. He is three and will be four in March. He also has achondroplasia dwarfism. <div>China's adoption process is a little different from Ukraine's. There is a lot more paperwork involved at the front end. However, we have already been pre-approved and China will actually "hold" our child for us as long as the paperwork goes OK. This means no big surprises when we get to China :) We will also only be in China for about two weeks. This is much better than the five weeks we were in Ukraine! Paul's mother, as well as Lizzy, will be making the trip with us this time. We are working on the mound of paperwork now and hope to travel to China in the fall of 2012. We can't wait to be a family of four!</div><div><br /></div><div>Love, </div><div>Candace, Paul, and Lizzy</div>Life's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-71321411779628709652010-04-18T21:38:00.003-04:002010-04-18T21:47:07.659-04:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7gzrNUm60KaQf5EQAJLlF8J3Meo40RB1GqOak2jsJmKJr94khpi_qwsiSLGKaVhjRbiVPm_FksgN-55vO-JGDlNFCzIOCtUjMR726NIem53xocCduQk3vXznDlaVB0B14ebixGaOqkjWP/s1600/IMG_2025-zoom1.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7gzrNUm60KaQf5EQAJLlF8J3Meo40RB1GqOak2jsJmKJr94khpi_qwsiSLGKaVhjRbiVPm_FksgN-55vO-JGDlNFCzIOCtUjMR726NIem53xocCduQk3vXznDlaVB0B14ebixGaOqkjWP/s320/IMG_2025-zoom1.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461658920669565234" border="0" /></a><br />Ah, the long wait before the final chapter in the adoption story! We have done so much! What a trip home. The 2 1/2 hour flight from Kiev to Frankfurt went pretty well, after the meltdown over the seat belt! Lizzy had no idea what it was and it really scared her to be strapped in; and they can't take off until everyone is buckled in. The 5 hour layover in Frankfurt was spent play riding in one of the security / escort carts parked near our terminal, eating a little snack, and playing with another little girl who was also waiting for her family's flight. The 11 hour flight from Frankfurt to Atlanta was long, but thankfully the movies and TV shows kept Lizzy pretty entertained while she was awake, and fortunately she slept a good part of the flight. She was a little scared of the toilet but mama helped her through it. Atlanta was under some stormy weather, so we had to circle a bit before our landing due to other flights being backed up. The descent was pretty rough coming down through the clouds. Candace, vomit bag in hand, managed to keep it down, while Lizzy giggled and laughed with joy! Looks like papa will have a roller coaster partner in a few years! Customs and immigration went pretty smooth. A big thank you to Rheannon and Jackie for meeting us at the airport and taking us home! We had never been so happy to walk through our front door, after a month long journey and now finally as a family! As tired as we all were, as much as we had done, Lizzy was all smiles when she saw her new home! Her eyes lit up when she saw her new room! A big thanks to Steph, Rick, and Rheannon for decorating Lizzy's room and stocking it with clothes! She loves it!<br />Lizzy has been adjusting so well to her new home, culture, time zone, environment. On the third night she slept through the night, no crying, and woke up happy ready to go! She loves the zabochkas (dogs)! And going for a ride in the car (especially if we are going to eat). Every time we go somewhere, on the way home she starts saying "za-boch-kas ... za-boch-kas !", it is adorable! We think the dogs have really helped her to feel her home is safe and special. Bath time has been a challenge, we're sure it is very different from how things were at the orphanage. We tried shower, bath, bubble bath (especially scary!), mom shows how to take a bath, cold water like the orphanage, warm water like we like, bring in the baby doll for a bath, but nothing worked. Another big thank you to Rick, who brought some bath toys and then made bath time fun! Tonight for the first time she is letting mama read a book to her before she goes to sleep, no arguments.<br />So far here are some things in America lizzy likes to eat: tomatoes, tofu, eggs, bread, PASTA (anything with pasta, including macaroni with nutritional yeast, flax and tofu!), rice, broccoli & carrots (if they have some stir fry sauce on it), boca burgers, pizza (if she's hungry enough, with tomatoes and banana peppers too), yogurt, applesauce, bananas, apples, grapes, and suckers (she was a big hit at the bank), and of course anything sweet! The other night I showed Lizzy a picture of the recipe we were about to fix and told her we were going to have that for dinner and she got so excited she ran to me, did a little skip in the air, then planted a huge kiss on me. She's quite the foodie! Also, Lizzy has never met a stranger (this can be for the good, bad, and ugly!) Lizzy loves playing outside, especially when papa throws her in the air and spins her around. She really likes her baby doll and stroller, shopping, cute shoes, pink clothes, and anything fashionable! Mama will definitely have a shopping partner!<br />We want to thank everyone who has supported us in so many ways. So closes our long, hard, and infinitely rewarding adoption journey and begins anew our life as a family.Life's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-43158709394245609502010-04-05T12:09:00.003-04:002010-04-05T13:06:24.310-04:00<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Since we have had Lizzy with us full time, there has not been time to write a blog! She has been wonderful. Even though she did not sleep on the train ride, she was a happy girl all day on Saturday. I think Mama was way more tired and grumpy than Lizzy. She is having a little trouble adjusting to the new food. She hasn't eaten much because it does not look like the food she ate at the orphanage. We figure she'll eat once we are home and can cook kid friendly meals for her. She went to her first mall on Sunday. She just took in everything. We went to the toy store and she wanted every doll that was there. Mama and Papa bought her her first Barbie and it hasn't left her side since. I have never seen a child so excited about a doll. We also bought her some more clothes. Everyday we put on a new outfit, she jumps up and down with excitement.<br />The first shower we gave her started off horrible. She screamed bloody murder because she was scared. Once she was in for a few minutes, she loved it! Now she wants to take a shower all the time. We let her play in the shower a little today. She had so much fun. I wish we had a tub so that we could give her a bubble bath. She has been really good at laying down at night when she is tired and going to sleep. However, last night was hard for Paul and I. Sometimes she rocks back and forth before she goes to sleep. Our facilitator told us that some orphans do that to comfort themselves. This means that she was not rocked to sleep when she was scared or going to sleep. When she started doing this last night, Paul picked her up and rocked her. It broke both our hearts to think about her not being rocked when she was little. Maybe sometimes, but not regularly. We also have found that she has a love/hate relationship with dogs. She loves them and wants to look at them. She has even gotten kind of close to them. However, once she gets too close she gets scared and runs away. We'll see how she and the dogs get along :) She is also a ham and LOVES her picture taken. She likes to do silly things and have us take her picture. We have definitely been entertained lately. Tomorrow we do our business at the Embassy. It sounds like it is an all day event :( Wednesday we take it easy and pack. Our flight leaves Kiev Thursday morning (our time) at 5:35 am. That means we have to be at the airport at 3:30 am!!! We have a two hour flight to Frankfurt, Germany. Then we have a 5 hour layover. Finally, we have our 10 hour flight to Atlanta. All of this with a 5 year old who doesn't like to sit still. Sounds like fun! However, we will be so excited to get home and back to some normalcy. It will be great to eat healthy again, and get back into our routine. I think Lizzy will like her new home.<br /><br />Love,<br />Candace and Paul<br /></span></span></span>Life's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-61719215557144339292010-04-03T04:52:00.002-04:002010-04-03T04:55:48.581-04:00<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">We wanted to let everyone know that we arrived in Kiev safely at 6:00 am. Lizzy did OK. When it was time to go to sleep she got really scared and cried for a while about every two hours. I think she only slept about 2 hours the whole night. I thought she would be grouchy this morning, but she is a happy little girl. She has been great at entertaining herself with my sunglasses and balloons. Not sure what we are going to do in the apartment for three days, but I guess we will manage. Hopefully, she won't get too bored. We are really hoping we can get a flight home Thursday. We'll see.<br /><br />Love,<br />Candace and Paul<br /></span></span></span>Life's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-1577094879701129472010-04-02T07:33:00.002-04:002010-04-02T07:36:51.301-04:00<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">So thanks to our awesome facilitator and some good luck, we are leaving on the train for Kiev tonight!! We are picking Miss Lizzy up at the orphanage and the train leaves at 7:30. We will arrive in Kiev early tomorrow morning. We will be in Kiev over the weekend and on Monday because it is a holiday because of Easter. So on Tuesday and Wednesday we will do our business at the Embassy. As long as we can get a flight, we will leave Ukraine on Thursday!!! We are so excited. Hopefully, we will be in America again soon. Also, our friends got their Interpol today and had court also today. Now we can leave and not feel guilty. We are so happy for them. See you in Kiev!!<br /><br />Love,<br />Candace and Paul<br /></span></span></span>Life's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-83186688960702704582010-03-31T12:07:00.003-04:002010-03-31T12:16:32.396-04:00<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">We finally got our Interpol clearance yesterday! This morning, our facilitator arrived back at our apartment and told us we could have court today or tomorrow. We went ahead and went to our morning visit. Right in the middle we got a call saying we had a court appointment today at 12:00!!!!!!!!!!!! We took Lizzy back early, she was not happy about that, and went back to get ready. Everything went great. The judge was very nice and the verdict was that we get to be Lizzy's mom and dad :) It was a very happy day. Tomorrow we have to run around and get paperwork done. We are not sure when we will get to come home yet. We have to wait and see how long it will take to get Lizzy's passport. We will get to take her out of the orphanage to get a passport photo. We have bought her new clothes, so she will look so cute! We will keep her in the orphanage until we get all our running done. We will probably take her out a day or two before we leave to go back to Kiev. What a huge weight that has been lifted off of us! However, our hearts are also sad because our friends have not yet gotten their Interpol clearance. :( It was hard for us to tell them we had court today. They were happy for us, of course, but it also made them sad. They are as ready to go home as we are.<br /><br />Love,<br />Candace and Paul<br /></span></span></span>Life's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-43133439741106173972010-03-28T11:06:00.004-04:002010-03-28T12:00:08.369-04:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVcK4HxhY2HOkJJWiaBG1_nS30FJ_s0OMuxIUCSKA18B0CqGfrJx3lOKbYpJe1iYIwZrcJk5CuCGC_ficilrV4PlOWRh1CjpGc1Byzktx4k9MfHADgMKyh9XZPQWjjGtadVRz8VH0foIqZ/s1600/IMG_1427.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVcK4HxhY2HOkJJWiaBG1_nS30FJ_s0OMuxIUCSKA18B0CqGfrJx3lOKbYpJe1iYIwZrcJk5CuCGC_ficilrV4PlOWRh1CjpGc1Byzktx4k9MfHADgMKyh9XZPQWjjGtadVRz8VH0foIqZ/s200/IMG_1427.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453711477359060402" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">What a great three days we have had!! Saturday we skipped our morning visit to get a taste of the area. The two couples we have befriended from Israel, Paul and I all decided we needed to do something different. Our friends' facilitator took us to a Cossack show. This show featured men dressed in the time and did tricks with ropes and horses. It was a lot of fun! After that, we went to the Cossack museum, which Paul and I had already been to. It was good though, because the facilitator knew much of the history of the area and told us quite a bit. </span></span></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Then we went to a huge oak tree where the Cossacks used to meet. It is over 800 years old. They have preserved it so it still stands. Finally, we ate lunch at a place that makes pizza. It was the closest thing we have had to familiar foods in three weeks. It was wonderful. We then had a great evening visit with Lizzy. She has finally decided she likes Mama and Papa better than the Ukrainian woman! Yea! She talked to her for a bit, but then wanted time alone with Mama and Papa. She is obsessed now with watching herself on video. She loves to watch all the video we have taken on our camera while she eats her cereal we bring for her. She is mesmerized for at least twenty minutes. Another breakthrough: she now comprises with us and motions what she wants instead of saying it in Russian and getting mad when we don't know what she wants. We have also picked up little Russian words here and there and she likes when we say Russian words to her. Breakthrough 2: Lizzy has learned that sharing is a good thing. Papa and I have been working with her and she shared her drink AND snack with us! It was a big deal!! Friday night, the dynamic six went out for dinner. We walked to a restaurant that was near to all our apartments. However, they were hosting a wedding reception. They let us eat there anyway. There were no English menus but luckily the waitress spoke a tiny bit of English. She gave us the highlights of the menu and we all were able to order. The lights then went low for the reception and the "DJ" started the music. It took us all about thirty minutes to realize that he was not playing cds but actually singing!! He was also playing the pan flute for slow songs. We were amazed!! Today we went to the open street market. It was really cool. They literally sell everything there!! We bought Lizzy some new shoes for 55 Grimna (or 6 US dollars!) Everything is so cheap here! We also bought her a dress and a full outfit. We then went to the children's store down the street. There we bought two shirts, three pairs of tights, five pairs of undies, bubbles, balloons, and pjs for...ready?.....$25!!! (209 Grimna!) Crazy!! It's great!!! </span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-RYcYwSNz6wQ0aOnIGkqu83j63uCJdngvUHxNxUel2e2R62AXllndEAU-vU-IHAz4Nh7a4IU_60ZGk7ja5bWc62dSeJeQ-45p0YlYZ0XQ7PeHViiYKkHHysoWGZIULgQYT_SjBV22L36/s1600/IMG_1455.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-RYcYwSNz6wQ0aOnIGkqu83j63uCJdngvUHxNxUel2e2R62AXllndEAU-vU-IHAz4Nh7a4IU_60ZGk7ja5bWc62dSeJeQ-45p0YlYZ0XQ7PeHViiYKkHHysoWGZIULgQYT_SjBV22L36/s200/IMG_1455.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5453711851081354898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=";font-family:trebuchet ms;" >We brought her her new hat and shoes tonight to our visit. The hat has three pink balls at the top. It looks like something she would pick for herself! She was so cute! She was sooo proud and happy. She hugged us both and couldn't wait to put them on. We also brought her bubbles and balloons today. She loved them! She screamed and tried to catch them. She also loved the balloons.We popped a few balloons as we played, but we had many more so it was OK. She loved to run and catch the balloons, also. It was windy so they were blowing everywhere! She had a great time with Mama and Papa today. We were also playing with our friends and the children that they are adopting. They speak Hebrew so we always say "Shalom" to them. Well, Lizzy got confused today and said "Shallo". Haha. She tried to combine hello and shalom. It was hysterical! Now we joke about it and say Shallo. We'll cross our fingers that we get our clearance papers tomorrow so we can get our court date! We'll see!!!<br /><br />Love,<br />Candace and Paul<br /></span></span></span>Life's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-46001976817027492052010-03-24T14:58:00.002-04:002010-03-24T15:02:52.627-04:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQBwRejgcOquZiQiga_5_e_1QQcUuiiAVP0ZhbebUrc7d8tGwI24parQD5lIauamfdtWBM8FHspQsBs768s6P3lqPghdrnWyCvox2aDOaMYfYJrTjLrLYkykDOg3vZyxgJAc6BfA4CyeDu/s1600/IMG_1257.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQBwRejgcOquZiQiga_5_e_1QQcUuiiAVP0ZhbebUrc7d8tGwI24parQD5lIauamfdtWBM8FHspQsBs768s6P3lqPghdrnWyCvox2aDOaMYfYJrTjLrLYkykDOg3vZyxgJAc6BfA4CyeDu/s320/IMG_1257.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5452277567600892114" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >On Monday we skipped our visits as Paul wasn't feeling well and didn't want to risk spreading anything to anyone at the orphanage. By Monday night he was feeling back to normal, so we resumed our visits Tuesday. Our friends, who are also adopting from the same orphanage, were very kind and took some pictures of Lizzy while she was outside happily playing with her friends. They emailed the pictures of our "sweet little doughnut" to us, as they affectionately call Lizzy. Like a doughnut, Lizzy is so small and full of so much energy! A perfect analogy we think! We thought maybe she didn't miss us, but Tuesday morning when we picked her up she greeted us with lots of kisses and hugs! Good to feel we were missed. Maybe she only missed the treats we bring her, but never the less we were missed! </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Great weather again on Tuesday, and we played outside in the morning and afternoon. As usual, I think we played on every single piece of playground equipment on the campus! We discovered the playground equipment with the stairs, rope, and slide. Lizzy LOVES the slide. Paul decided to slide down with her the first time, and due to his excitement and haste discovered at the bottom a muddy puddle of water! We counted as we climbed the stairs, and she loves saying "GO GO GO GO GO!!!" as Paul helps her climb up the rope to the top of the platform. This provided about a hour and 15 minutes of entertainment, which is approximately 3,297 times more than the longest she has ever spent on any other single piece of playground equipment! We finally figured out how to keep her from screaming and crying when we take her inside; bribery. We give her one of her treats as we take her back inside at the end of our visit. We aren't proud of it, but based on our environment we have to make due with what we've got! </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Wednesday morning we came a little later than usual, and she was already outside with her group playing. The last time she joined her group during a visit, was the last we saw of her (already embarrassed of mom and dad!). So, we thought that was it, no visiting today. However, she surprised us. As soon as she saw us she came running with her arms held out saying mama and papa and gave us huge hugs and kisses; took our hands, and lead us away from her group so we could play together. This has been the most obvious sign of love we have experienced yet, and it really warmed our hearts. We played on all the equipment again, slid on the slide, chased a cat with a rake, and said hello to Arnau, the orphanage dog. After the morning visit, we went to Boshka, a small restaurant and Internet cafe nearby. We enjoyed some french fries (its been sooo long, we never thought we would miss them!), some sort of sweet cheese pierogies, and Ukrainian beer with our friends from Israel. We shared some customs, views, traditions, and daily life experiences; some similar, some could not be more different. We really enjoy learning about other cultures. One interesting difference was the general order of priorities. After reconciling and reflecting on the conversation, neither for better or worse, family and general well being seems to be at the top of the list in Israel, and the 'drive for more' seems to be a considerable factor in America. Our friends admire all that we have available in America, and we believe that is a result of that 'drive for more'. </span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:trebuchet ms;" >Wednesday evening's visit was a bit more trying. I think this was a great experience for all of us, a good mini-preparation for what life of a parent will be like. She greeted us again with love. After being outside for a few minutes, we saw another woman from Ukraine who is also adopting who was playing with her child. Lizzy, being the social butterfly that she is, loves to interact with anyone who speaks Russian, so she followed the two around for a while. At the slide, she cut herself short of saying "GO GO GO" as she was too embarrassed. We took her inside to use the bathroom, and when we came out she was upset that the Ukrainian woman and her child were not outside. Lizzy started acting up, and tried to push Candace away from her and her toys by throwing her entire body against Candace and in Russian tell her to get away in an ugly tone. Candace quickly recognized this as a power struggle, and did not move and told her she loves her and gave her a kiss. Lizzy gave up, packed up her toys and walked to another piece of playground equipment. There she began demanding her cookie from Paul, who also did not relent. She began crying and throwing a fit for a while. After she calmed down we gave her the snack after she asked for it nicely. We then played together nicely the rest of the evening, and at the end of the visit she gave us kisses and hugs again. A great experience of setting expectations, limits, and despite everything, showing love for each other. </span><br /></span></span>Life's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-74562506274652883572010-03-21T09:13:00.002-04:002010-03-21T09:30:58.035-04:00<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet ms;">The last two days have been beautiful!!! The weather has been gorgeous so we have taken Lizzy outside for every visit. She loves it! Today, before Paul even got out the doors with her, she was calling "Mama!". She then hugged me and gave me about four kisses. She was very loving this morning. We found that she has her own little pee pot that she squats over to use the bathroom. It is number 11. It is then emptied into the big pot. All the kids have their own. She also has her own towel to dry her hands. We have been bringing her grape juice boxes and she drinks it all at once. She loves them. Today we started singing the ABCs to her. She likes the song and tried to sing along. She will learn it soon. Whenever we are outside with her, and her group is taking a walk outside, she struts over to them. I mean literally struts. She wants to make sure they see her with her Papa and Mama. The kids call us Lizzy Papa and Mama. Too cute. Yesterday, they all gave her kisses as they were walking away. She is Miss Popularity there :) Paul and I think that yesterday was the first time she had ever walked up and down stairs. She had no idea what to do. Paul showed her and today she did a great job walking up and down the stairs. We guess she has been guarded her whole life because she has no fear of anything. She'll run full speed ahead and trip over something and land on her nose. She has also almost fallen off the play equipment a couple of times. I think that this has been the first time for her to play on the equipment. This morning, she seemed to have a better sense of being more cautious. We have so much to teach her. They also make them eat really fast at the orphanage so she takes too big of bites and wants to keep taking bites with her mouth full. We have taught her to swallow what she has first. She now will show us when her mouth is empty to get another bite of banana. She actually called it a banana today! She also told me "Love you" when she went back today. So sweet!! One of her favorite activities is to clean things. I love it! She likes to "sweep" the playground equipment and wipe off dirty chairs with Kleenex. :) Yesterday, we had lunch with our new friends. We had a great time. We were a little embarrassed when they asked what second language was taught in the US. We said none, really. We told them you could choose a language in high school, but none was required. In Israel, they learn English, Hebrew, and Arabic. They also love how cheap everything is in America. Last time they were in New York, they stocked up on Speed Stic and New Balance because those things are so expensive in Israel. Today we met the other couple that are here from Israel. They were also very nice and of course spoke English. It has been a great experience to not only learn about Ukraine, but also Israel. They bought us fresh poppy seed cake from the market yesterday, because they said we had to try it. They had bought a few days before and loved it. It was delicious!!!! Everything is so fresh here and preservative free. Everything tastes so good! We are getting ready to go to our second visit. Bye for now.<br /><br />Love,<br />Candace and Paul<br /></span></span></span>Life's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-58003437568413845032010-03-19T14:07:00.000-04:002010-03-19T14:08:40.423-04:00<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;">Today was good day. We had a great visit with Lizzt this morning.She was very attentive and was excited to see us. This evening she was again infatuated with the Ukraine woman. However, that is OK with us and the woman really likes her so all is well. We are doing OK without our facilitator and have made two trips to the market by ourselves. Paul was just talking about how a few weeks ago he was miffed that his Starbucks was too watery. Now we have to make a daily trip to the market on muddy paths/alleys to get to the market to buy drinkable water and haul it back to our apartment. We live a life of luxury in Atlanta :) We are having lunch tomorrow with our new friends from Israel. They had a bad experience here yesterday. They went into a restaurant and a guy stood up and called "Jew, Jew". They left the restaurant because they didn't want any trouble. We couldn't believe it. They said they were warned about Ukraine, but they didn't expect to experience that first hand. On a lighter note, I am definitely the only handicapped person around. When we were walking through a path to see the forts, I was holding Paul's coffee cup while he pushed the wheelchair. Some guy walking by slipped a Ukrainian 5 dollar bill in my hand. He thought I was begging for money with my coffee cup in hand and being in a wheelchair. Paul, our facilitator, and I laughed so hard we cried. It was so funny. (and sweet) There is zero accessibility here. Paul has to push me everywhere so as not to get mud all over me and to help me up and down curbs and huge potholes. Also, they make fun of American coffee. The coffee here is like black tar. There is a coffee here that you can get that is named something Americana and it is watery coffee. Haha. Our internet connection is off and on here so we don't always get to get on as much as we'd like. It has almost been two weeks and we are getting a tiny bit homesick. We miss everyone and the little creature comforts we are used to and familiar with. Hopefully court will be next week and we will see what happens from there.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;"><br />Love,Candace and Paul</span>Life's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3536649149788584688.post-17249381313894243082010-03-17T15:15:00.002-04:002010-03-17T15:25:37.955-04:00<strong><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;font-size:130%;">Today was a little crazy! We went for our evening visit with Lizzy and there was a couple from Israel adopting and the same Ukraine woman who is usually there. Whenever there is someone who speaks Russian, Lizzy would rather play/talk with them. She pretty much talked/played with the other woman most of the time. She also snatched a toy from the 2 year old boy the Israelie couple is adopting. We told her no and they were very understanding, but geez! Then she tried to steal the little girl's juice box and the little boy's juice cup. She was a mess tonight! We were warned that if there is someone (especially a woman) around that speaks Russian, the kids will always go to her. This is understable, but we just want to hug on her and squeeze her!! The couple from Israel are very nice and we plan to go have coffee and chat one afternoon. (They of course speak English because other people know more than one language!) We are looking forward to this. It will be nice to speak with people who are going through the same thing. It is hard to really bond with Lizzy visiting at the orphanafe. There is always someone who speaks her language and people all over the place. I am really excited for the day that she gets to come home with us :) Our facilitator left this evening to go home. He will come back a day or two before our court hearing. We went to a large supermarket today to stock up on groceries since he will be gone. It was kind of like a Super Walmart. It had a little of everything. They also had this dry soymeat that our facilitator said was very good. We got some and cooked that and buckwheat for dinner. Both were very good! We always love to try new things. That's it for now. Happy St. Patrick's Day!!</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:130%;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:130%;">Love,</span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:130%;">Candace and Paul</span></strong>Life's a Beach(um)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10383119335287683907noreply@blogger.com0