Elijah had an appointment on Friday with a speech therapist, to do a brief assessment. There was also a student working with her, so both the therapist and the student went through a couple books with Elijah. They were looking at various pictures, pointing things out, asking him what he saw, etc. The books were perfect - they had MANY pictures, and many things he liked looking at and pointing things out.
As they went through, they took notes on what sounds that Elijah could make, and what sounds he couldn't make. For the sounds he couldn't make, they made notes about what sounds he substituted for them. They also were listening to how many words he would string together in a phrase. It was very interesting, and I think the results were a very accurate assessment of his speech skills.
Basically, there are several letters that he doesn't say at all. There are some that I thought he didn't say, but he would say them if he was looking right at the therapist when she said it and he looked right back at her and repeated it, showing that he can make the sounds. He is putting together 3-words sentences fairly well - although of course they are more mangled when they are strung together. (Actually sometimes at home we do hear 4-word sentences - now that I know to listen for that!) And she said he's about at the level of a child who is 2 yrs 10 mos to 3 years old.
The therapist gave me two options. The first was to refer him on to another therapist, who would work with him intensively for six weeks, and watch how well he improves, at which time they would decide whether he qualifies for special education services. The other option was for us to continue working with him, and bring him back in about 4 months and see if he's continuing to improve.
She asked me questions about where his speech was in January when we brought him home - and we don't think he was really talking at all - he didn't to us and we doubt he was in the orphanage either. In addition to learning to talk in the past 8 months, he's also learning a new language. Thinking about how far he's come in those 8 months, we think he's improving at an incredible rate just with what we're already working with him on. She thinks that will continue to improve with the care and instruction he's receiving - and being around his talking peers at daycare and elsewhere. I also mentioned that he's just begun really talking a LOT more in the past couple weeks - even since I'd set up the appointment! I think it has a lot to do with his confidence in his rapidly-expanding vocabulary, and she thought so too.
So we opted for the second option. She gave us some helpful hints on how we can continue working with him. She will hold on to his assessment - a great baseline to compare to in 4 months when I have her do a re-assessment. Then if he's not improved very much, then we'll definitely get her referral to ahead with the more intensive work.
So in the next few months, she wants us to not ask so many yes/no questions - where he can be lazy with one-word answers. Instead we can ask him open-ended questions. When he talks to us in a 3-word sentence, we can validate what he's saying. For example, if he says, "See my truck", we can respond with, "Yes, I see your yellow truck." That way he'll likely repeat back, and learn to add more words to his sentences.
Also, she said not to worry so much about the ending consonants that he rarely says. She says that as he gets more used to saying more words in a sentence, those will come, as will just the general letter sounds that he can't say - and not to worry about those either. Those sounds will come as he gets more practice talking.
Anyway, it was VERY interesting to me to meet with her and talk with her about how we can help him. And it's encouraging to me that she thinks he's learning so quickly, which we also have noticed. She said the key is that he continues to get better, and doesn't stop improving. We'll see in January how he's doing, but I'm so glad to have met with her. It gives me peace of mind that we're doing things right, and I'm certain that, at the pace he's going, soon he'll be caught up with his peers.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Elijah Started Preschool
Elijah moved up to one of the preschool classrooms at daycare this fall. He seems to be enjoying it. It’s a fairly small classroom (about 8 kids I think), so he’s getting lots of individual attention from his teachers. Some of the other kids – most of whom are older than him – are helping set a good example for him.
Elijah is good at counting. Sometimes he skips 6, but he is counting with one-to-one correspondence (pointing at one object at a time as he says each number), and can usually get to 11 or 12 before he stops to seek help.
I’ve also noticed in the past week or two that he is learning his colors. He used to just blurt out whatever random color word came to mind when we’d ask what color something was. More and more he is telling us the right color – and is starting to tell us what color things are without us asking, just because he’s proud that he knows it! :)
Elijah is also starting to learn the alphabet and some letters. He can sort-of sing the alphabet song, but I don’t think he quite gets the concept yet – it’s hard to tell. He is starting to recognize the letter E, and that E is for Elijah, though. I don’t think he can write it yet. When you give him a pencil or crayon and paper, he still just scribbles. He can concentrate and color in certain shapes if you really work with him on it, but he doesn’t very often. Ah, more stuff to work on!
Now if we could just get him to keep his pants dry! But that's another story for another day.
Elijah is good at counting. Sometimes he skips 6, but he is counting with one-to-one correspondence (pointing at one object at a time as he says each number), and can usually get to 11 or 12 before he stops to seek help.
I’ve also noticed in the past week or two that he is learning his colors. He used to just blurt out whatever random color word came to mind when we’d ask what color something was. More and more he is telling us the right color – and is starting to tell us what color things are without us asking, just because he’s proud that he knows it! :)
Elijah is also starting to learn the alphabet and some letters. He can sort-of sing the alphabet song, but I don’t think he quite gets the concept yet – it’s hard to tell. He is starting to recognize the letter E, and that E is for Elijah, though. I don’t think he can write it yet. When you give him a pencil or crayon and paper, he still just scribbles. He can concentrate and color in certain shapes if you really work with him on it, but he doesn’t very often. Ah, more stuff to work on!
Now if we could just get him to keep his pants dry! But that's another story for another day.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Love
Hold us Together, by Matt Maher. I like this song. It has a really catchy tune. I hear it on the radio frequently. In fact, I heard the DJs talking this week about it being the top-rated song by theit Listener Advisory Committee. It makes a lot more sense to me now that I've heard the word "It" at the very beginning of the song. It = Love. Love is God - learned that in a Bible study one time (replacing the word Love with Jesus in 1 Cor 13). Anyway... enjoy! (Turn of my playlist at right to listen.)
YouTube also has Matt Maher talking about the story behind the song here.
YouTube also has Matt Maher talking about the story behind the song here.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Elijah's Speech
Everyone has noticed how Elijah is talking more. I think it is a matter of him gaining confidence in his expanding vocabulary. At Sunday school last weekend, his teachers commented to him, “You’re talking!” He is still very shy in new places, and since Sunday School is only a weekly place he goes, he’s still very quiet there. So, his talking last Sunday was probably more a product of it being Daddy’s week to help with his group, but they have his number now! :)
He is still very difficult to understand, as he has trouble making many sounds. We had his ears and hearing tested last week, and all was fine there. So as we suspected, we think it is a matter of him just not being able to make the sounds. He didn’t talk much at all, before he came home at ages 3 1/2, so we think he’s still working on developing those muscles and learning how to move his mouth to make certain sounds.
We continue to work with him, as does daycare – by asking him to repeat words one-at-a-time, trying to say them the right way. Sometimes even showing him how to position his lips/tongue - funny how you don't realize just how complex speaking is until you try to teach someone. I think it is helping, but he still has quite a ways to go. We have an appointment coming up with a speech therapist so hopefully they can confirm this and can get him some specialized help as well. This is a free service provided by the state’s Area Education Agency – their philosophy with their early childhood programs is to help the kids as soon as they know there is an issue that can be fixed – and then hopefully by the time they go to school it will be back to normal and not cause further delays in their education.
He is still very difficult to understand, as he has trouble making many sounds. We had his ears and hearing tested last week, and all was fine there. So as we suspected, we think it is a matter of him just not being able to make the sounds. He didn’t talk much at all, before he came home at ages 3 1/2, so we think he’s still working on developing those muscles and learning how to move his mouth to make certain sounds.
We continue to work with him, as does daycare – by asking him to repeat words one-at-a-time, trying to say them the right way. Sometimes even showing him how to position his lips/tongue - funny how you don't realize just how complex speaking is until you try to teach someone. I think it is helping, but he still has quite a ways to go. We have an appointment coming up with a speech therapist so hopefully they can confirm this and can get him some specialized help as well. This is a free service provided by the state’s Area Education Agency – their philosophy with their early childhood programs is to help the kids as soon as they know there is an issue that can be fixed – and then hopefully by the time they go to school it will be back to normal and not cause further delays in their education.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Fall 2010 Soccer
This is the first year that Kaylen is playing on the more formal soccer league in town. It’s still recreational, but there’s a difference in the skill between this league and the city rec league she’s played on in the past. She was frustrated the first game, but the second game was much better, with the girls working together better and being more positive. She is improving quickly, which is fun to see. (The photo above was from week 2, but it was a rainy morning, so I didn't take photos of the game. The photos below were from their first game.)
Elijah is also playing soccer. We signed him up for the 4-5-year-old city rec league program. They have 6 games, one per week and all are indoors. This means there is more containment of the ball even though they have little control over their kicks, less weather issues, etc – so they can just have fun and learn a little bit about soccer. His first game was this weekend – they practice for about 15 minutes than play a game for about 45 minutes. It’s so amusing to watch them all trying to figure it out – although some have a better grasp than others. Elijah had no clue what he was doing, but he knows how to kick, and just followed the others’ cues. He was a bit of a wild child – not really paying attention and playing around a lot during down times. But when he started getting the hang of it, he ran around and tried to kick the ball just like the other little boys (once we learned to tell him to “kick the ball” instead of “go get the ball”. :) I'll try to post a few videos from his first game soon. They are hilarious!
Josephine does not like being 3 when you have to be 4 or older to play soccer. She feels left out because Kaylen and Elijah both get to play. She’s better about Kaylen getting to do things, but since she is so close in age to Elijah, stuff he gets to do that she doesn’t really makes her upset. This past weekend she told us she was 4, thinking we’d let her play soccer – smart little girl! But it didn’t work and she had a good pout, complete with lower lip! She’ll have to get over that though – there’ll always be something that one kid or another will be too old or too young to share in with their sibling(s). I’m not sure she’d like it anyway. I don’t think she’d appreciate having to stay with her team when Mom sits off to the side, 25 feet away, to watch. She’s also so tall and skinny, that she’s sometimes very clumsy, but who knows. We’ll assess whether we think she’d like it, when she’s old enough next fall.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Awana
This is Kaylen’s first year in Awana. In the past she has attended our church’s Wednesday night activities, but since her soccer practices are on Wednesday and Thursday nights this fall, we signed up for Awana at another church. It’s the same church ours partners with for VBS in the summers, so she knows some of the kids and helpers. She’s been having a lot of fun and has been learning a lot too!
Kaylen has learned what the SPARKS acronym stands for, and the Bible verses that go along with them. We continue to work on verses at home, and she’s really enjoying it. She is really motivated by the patches and gems she can earn for her vest. She's learned her first patch, and will soon have two jems. This past week, though, we had to have a talk about quality vs quantity. Somehow she came home with more verses signed than she really had learned. So we’re reviewing the 5 extra verses she got signed but didn’t really know, before moving on to more.
Elijah and Josephine are also enjoying Awana. They are both in the same Cubbies group. They have fun singing and doing crafts and getting a snack – and reciting very simple verses. We stayed the first couple weeks with them, but snuck out for week three. After they’re done, they are so excited to show us the sticker they got in their book, and the paper or craft that they made! This week they each earned their "Hopper" patches and I got them put on their vests. So awesome to see them so excited about a program where they learn about Jesus!
Kaylen has learned what the SPARKS acronym stands for, and the Bible verses that go along with them. We continue to work on verses at home, and she’s really enjoying it. She is really motivated by the patches and gems she can earn for her vest. She's learned her first patch, and will soon have two jems. This past week, though, we had to have a talk about quality vs quantity. Somehow she came home with more verses signed than she really had learned. So we’re reviewing the 5 extra verses she got signed but didn’t really know, before moving on to more.
Elijah and Josephine are also enjoying Awana. They are both in the same Cubbies group. They have fun singing and doing crafts and getting a snack – and reciting very simple verses. We stayed the first couple weeks with them, but snuck out for week three. After they’re done, they are so excited to show us the sticker they got in their book, and the paper or craft that they made! This week they each earned their "Hopper" patches and I got them put on their vests. So awesome to see them so excited about a program where they learn about Jesus!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
USCIS Appointment
Last week we received our packets in the mail, with instructions and an appointment for finalizing our children's United States Citizenship! We were very excited to receive this, after no communication from USCIS after we'd sent in the additional documentation they'd requested. I'm glad that they did, in fact, accept our scanned photocopy of our Haitian adoption decrees, and classified us into "Category 1".
We have a lot of paperwork to complete before our appointment. This includes USCIS forms I-485 (and its hefty fee) and I-864W, one of each for each child. We have to have a "civil surgeon" (a physician from USCIS' approved list) see our children, review their immunizations and TB test results, and fill out a form for each child - which they are to seal and we are to bring to our appointment. We have to bring two passport photos for each child. We also have to bring our own IDs and passports, plus any airline and hotel receipts and photos of us with our children in Haiti to prove that we'd met them before our Haitian adoption decree was finalized.
We have been asked to bring along copies of our children's birth certificates, IBESR approval, and judgement papers, and their English translations. These are the additional documentation papers that were requested of us in August. We submitted them via email as we had our adoption decrees back in July, but received no response, so I'm more than happy to make another copy of them if that's what it takes.
The one piece that I'm concerned about is the I-94. I understand that this is a small white card, about the size of a business card. It is what USCIS provides non-immigrants as proof of their arrival into the US. It should have the person's name, date of birth, Alien registration number, and a stamp noting their entry status - which for our children, is Humanitarian Parole. People that enter the US with a passport apparently have this card stapled into their passports, but since our children did not have passports, we were told it should have been handed to us when they released our children to us.
This was not handed to us. I was sleep deprived at the time our children were released to us, having been awake for over 40 hours at that point, but I remember those last few hours like they were yesterday. I remember the officials in charge, saying to keep the documents they gave us safe, as we would need them later on. I remember them having us to sign one last document as we walked back out of the secured area. I remember them handing us the two white sheets of paper for each child (they are each 8 1/2 x 11 size papers), and immediately putting them into my blue folder and into our backpack so they would be safe. There were no small white cards given to us.
So, I'm concerned that we don't have these cards. I've emailed our local immigration office, and our officer has emailed back that he would research the issue. He recommended that we bring whatever documentation that we were given, to our appointment, and that he would get back to us with any further instructions. I did a little research myself, and there is another form that people can fill out to get "Replacement" I-94 cards. There is a hefty fee, which we would have to pay per child, if this is what is required for us. My issue, though is that we were not given an I-94 to begin with, so I hope they don't require this. If we do, we do, but we shall see.
We are praying that this doesn't cause us any unnecessary delays in processing Elijah & Josephine's citizenship. We are praying that we go to our appointment on October 20th, and come out of the Neal Smith Federal Building with Elijah & Josephine's Certificates of Citizenship in our hands and our two newest US Citizens in our arms! If all goes well, we'll definitely be celebrating!
We are currently checking into the process to get our children's names officially changed to Elijah and Josephine once they become US Citizens. We will also be able to get them US birth certificates, then social security numbers, and then passports if we so choose. Even though Iowa does not require readoption, we are considering doing it, for many reasons. After speaking with an adoption lawyer, it would be an option to finalize Elijah & Josephine's readoption on National Adoption Day, as we did for Kaylen's adoption. That was such a blessing to us, but we're still working on decisions and details, so stay tuned!
And please keep us in your prayers, that all of the above goes smoothly. There has to be SOMETHING about this adoption that goes right, doesn't there? And to GOD be the glory! Thank you Jesus, that they are home and thriving. I cannot wait until this is all behind us and we can move ahead without worrying about further paperwork and red tape.
This Psalm was shared by another adoptive mom, who will be bringing home her son this week. It's one of my favorites, and I was reminded of why. God is so good - my hope is in Him!
Psalm 146
1 Praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD, O my soul.
2 I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortal men, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
the LORD, who remains faithful forever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets prisoners free,
8 the LORD gives sight to the blind,
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,
the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the alien
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
10 The LORD reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the LORD.
We have a lot of paperwork to complete before our appointment. This includes USCIS forms I-485 (and its hefty fee) and I-864W, one of each for each child. We have to have a "civil surgeon" (a physician from USCIS' approved list) see our children, review their immunizations and TB test results, and fill out a form for each child - which they are to seal and we are to bring to our appointment. We have to bring two passport photos for each child. We also have to bring our own IDs and passports, plus any airline and hotel receipts and photos of us with our children in Haiti to prove that we'd met them before our Haitian adoption decree was finalized.
We have been asked to bring along copies of our children's birth certificates, IBESR approval, and judgement papers, and their English translations. These are the additional documentation papers that were requested of us in August. We submitted them via email as we had our adoption decrees back in July, but received no response, so I'm more than happy to make another copy of them if that's what it takes.
The one piece that I'm concerned about is the I-94. I understand that this is a small white card, about the size of a business card. It is what USCIS provides non-immigrants as proof of their arrival into the US. It should have the person's name, date of birth, Alien registration number, and a stamp noting their entry status - which for our children, is Humanitarian Parole. People that enter the US with a passport apparently have this card stapled into their passports, but since our children did not have passports, we were told it should have been handed to us when they released our children to us.
This was not handed to us. I was sleep deprived at the time our children were released to us, having been awake for over 40 hours at that point, but I remember those last few hours like they were yesterday. I remember the officials in charge, saying to keep the documents they gave us safe, as we would need them later on. I remember them having us to sign one last document as we walked back out of the secured area. I remember them handing us the two white sheets of paper for each child (they are each 8 1/2 x 11 size papers), and immediately putting them into my blue folder and into our backpack so they would be safe. There were no small white cards given to us.
So, I'm concerned that we don't have these cards. I've emailed our local immigration office, and our officer has emailed back that he would research the issue. He recommended that we bring whatever documentation that we were given, to our appointment, and that he would get back to us with any further instructions. I did a little research myself, and there is another form that people can fill out to get "Replacement" I-94 cards. There is a hefty fee, which we would have to pay per child, if this is what is required for us. My issue, though is that we were not given an I-94 to begin with, so I hope they don't require this. If we do, we do, but we shall see.
We are praying that this doesn't cause us any unnecessary delays in processing Elijah & Josephine's citizenship. We are praying that we go to our appointment on October 20th, and come out of the Neal Smith Federal Building with Elijah & Josephine's Certificates of Citizenship in our hands and our two newest US Citizens in our arms! If all goes well, we'll definitely be celebrating!
We are currently checking into the process to get our children's names officially changed to Elijah and Josephine once they become US Citizens. We will also be able to get them US birth certificates, then social security numbers, and then passports if we so choose. Even though Iowa does not require readoption, we are considering doing it, for many reasons. After speaking with an adoption lawyer, it would be an option to finalize Elijah & Josephine's readoption on National Adoption Day, as we did for Kaylen's adoption. That was such a blessing to us, but we're still working on decisions and details, so stay tuned!
And please keep us in your prayers, that all of the above goes smoothly. There has to be SOMETHING about this adoption that goes right, doesn't there? And to GOD be the glory! Thank you Jesus, that they are home and thriving. I cannot wait until this is all behind us and we can move ahead without worrying about further paperwork and red tape.
This Psalm was shared by another adoptive mom, who will be bringing home her son this week. It's one of my favorites, and I was reminded of why. God is so good - my hope is in Him!
Psalm 146
1 Praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD, O my soul.
2 I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
3 Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortal men, who cannot save.
4 When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
on that very day their plans come to nothing.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 the Maker of heaven and earth,
the sea, and everything in them—
the LORD, who remains faithful forever.
7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed
and gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets prisoners free,
8 the LORD gives sight to the blind,
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,
the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the alien
and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
10 The LORD reigns forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the LORD.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Adventureland, 2010
We had planned to take the kids to Adventureland in June, on a weekday. We had to change plans because that was the week I was sick - the day before my surgery. So unfortunately, we had to go on a weekend. It was so BUSY!!! And we were reminded why we always try to go on a weekday. It was a long day of waiting in line and not riding very many rides. But it was still fun.
As usual, we first head to one of the water rides that by mid-day, typically has a two-hour-long line. Elijah & Josephine had NO IDEA what was in store. Josephine did not like getting splashed, but she ultimately had fun on the ride. Most of us got at least somewhat wet - as is typical, I'm the one that got soaked. Oh well... These pix were taken quickly before we had to put the camera away.
Then Daddy & Kaylen went off to ride the Log Ride, which I don't think Elijah & Josephine could ride. (They also tried to ride a roller coaster which was apparently broken down.) I took Elijah & Josephine to the boat ride before meeting up again with Daddy and Kaylen.
Waiting in line...
Josephine liked the slow pace of this one. :)
Elijah & Josephine liked driving their big truck as well - but all my photos were blurry until after it quit and then they were bored waiting to be let off.
Girls taking a break.
Bored of the break... C'mon! Let's go over there!
That's better.
Josephine wanted to go on this one, but wasn't so sure when she realized I wasn't going. Daddy convinced her... but I think she and Elijah were a little bit scared on it. I also think Daddy wished he hadn't ridden either - given this look on his face after the ride. :)
Jock and the kids were excited for this one to start. I again agree to sit out and take fun pictures. I don't do spinny rides - my stomach can't handle them. Josephine was so excited to ride this one...
...but apparently not so excited once the spinning started.
Then I took Elijah and Josephine on the Carousel while Daddy and Kaylen rode the sky lift. I never used to be afraid of heights, but last time I tried it I got a little freaked out. And since we had the stroller and the two little kids, I opted out. This is more Josephine's kind of ride!
Elijah enjoyed it too!
We watched this ride for a while, waiting for Daddy and Kaylen to make their way back to the front of the park. When they came back I asked Josephine if she wanted to ride it and she said no. Elijah's fearless... until he gets on a ride - then he buries his head in fear. Poor guy. But the minute he got off he had a great big smile again. :)
We got in line to ride the Sky Wheel, but they weren't letting people on - and people in the front of the line were leaving, and telling us that apparently the brakes were not working right - so we decided against it too.
And finally, when we were all completely wiped out, we took a train ride to end our day.
(Don't know who the blond kid is behind the girls, but it's a good picture of the three of us.)
We also went to the new waterpark area for a while in the middle of the day. It was SOOOOOO crowded that it was hard to get anywhere or do anything! We didn't do much more back there than just relax and cool off in the water. Kaylen and I went down one of the water slides a couple times, and Daddy and Kaylen went down one also.
Overall, it was a fun day - despite the crowds and not being able to ride many rides. The kids all said they had fun, and so did we. Although, Kaylen did seem a little disappointed that she didn't ride any roller coasters - even though the thing she most wanted to do when we arrived was go to the waterpark portion. She didn't really complain though - just made that observation a few times. (sigh)
Kaylen asked me what my favorite part of the day was, and I told her that it was watching them have fun. She says, "No, I mean what was your favorite ride?!" I love roller coasters and rides (except for the spinny ones), but I hardly rode any rides all day long - watching and documenting with photos as the kids went on things, keeping the little kids having fun when Daddy and Kaylen would go wait in line for the bigger-kid rides, babysitting the stroller, etc. It was still so much fun!
...Things you never think you'll say until you're a mom! (As a kid, I always thought my mom was lying when she'd say stuff like that - just so we didn't feel bad that she didn't get to do the fun stuff... because as a kid you can't imagine it being fun when you don't get to ride the rides. I was wrong, she wasn't lying! :)
Summary:
Ride Wimps: Josephine & Mommy
Ride Iron-Woman: Kaylen
Ride Iron-Man Fakers/Wannabees: Elijah & Daddy
A fun day at Adventureland with the family: Priceless!!!
As usual, we first head to one of the water rides that by mid-day, typically has a two-hour-long line. Elijah & Josephine had NO IDEA what was in store. Josephine did not like getting splashed, but she ultimately had fun on the ride. Most of us got at least somewhat wet - as is typical, I'm the one that got soaked. Oh well... These pix were taken quickly before we had to put the camera away.
Then Daddy & Kaylen went off to ride the Log Ride, which I don't think Elijah & Josephine could ride. (They also tried to ride a roller coaster which was apparently broken down.) I took Elijah & Josephine to the boat ride before meeting up again with Daddy and Kaylen.
Waiting in line...
Josephine liked the slow pace of this one. :)
Elijah & Josephine liked driving their big truck as well - but all my photos were blurry until after it quit and then they were bored waiting to be let off.
Girls taking a break.
Bored of the break... C'mon! Let's go over there!
That's better.
Josephine wanted to go on this one, but wasn't so sure when she realized I wasn't going. Daddy convinced her... but I think she and Elijah were a little bit scared on it. I also think Daddy wished he hadn't ridden either - given this look on his face after the ride. :)
Jock and the kids were excited for this one to start. I again agree to sit out and take fun pictures. I don't do spinny rides - my stomach can't handle them. Josephine was so excited to ride this one...
...but apparently not so excited once the spinning started.
Then I took Elijah and Josephine on the Carousel while Daddy and Kaylen rode the sky lift. I never used to be afraid of heights, but last time I tried it I got a little freaked out. And since we had the stroller and the two little kids, I opted out. This is more Josephine's kind of ride!
Elijah enjoyed it too!
We watched this ride for a while, waiting for Daddy and Kaylen to make their way back to the front of the park. When they came back I asked Josephine if she wanted to ride it and she said no. Elijah's fearless... until he gets on a ride - then he buries his head in fear. Poor guy. But the minute he got off he had a great big smile again. :)
We got in line to ride the Sky Wheel, but they weren't letting people on - and people in the front of the line were leaving, and telling us that apparently the brakes were not working right - so we decided against it too.
And finally, when we were all completely wiped out, we took a train ride to end our day.
(Don't know who the blond kid is behind the girls, but it's a good picture of the three of us.)We also went to the new waterpark area for a while in the middle of the day. It was SOOOOOO crowded that it was hard to get anywhere or do anything! We didn't do much more back there than just relax and cool off in the water. Kaylen and I went down one of the water slides a couple times, and Daddy and Kaylen went down one also.
Overall, it was a fun day - despite the crowds and not being able to ride many rides. The kids all said they had fun, and so did we. Although, Kaylen did seem a little disappointed that she didn't ride any roller coasters - even though the thing she most wanted to do when we arrived was go to the waterpark portion. She didn't really complain though - just made that observation a few times. (sigh)
Kaylen asked me what my favorite part of the day was, and I told her that it was watching them have fun. She says, "No, I mean what was your favorite ride?!" I love roller coasters and rides (except for the spinny ones), but I hardly rode any rides all day long - watching and documenting with photos as the kids went on things, keeping the little kids having fun when Daddy and Kaylen would go wait in line for the bigger-kid rides, babysitting the stroller, etc. It was still so much fun!
...Things you never think you'll say until you're a mom! (As a kid, I always thought my mom was lying when she'd say stuff like that - just so we didn't feel bad that she didn't get to do the fun stuff... because as a kid you can't imagine it being fun when you don't get to ride the rides. I was wrong, she wasn't lying! :)
Summary:
Ride Wimps: Josephine & Mommy
Ride Iron-Woman: Kaylen
Ride Iron-Man Fakers/Wannabees: Elijah & Daddy
A fun day at Adventureland with the family: Priceless!!!
Adoption Finalization & US Citizenship
It sounds like other Haitian adoptive families in USCIS' "Category 1", are starting to get appointments from their local USCIS offices. These appointments are to go over the paperwork, fill out some more, and process the kids' US Citizenship!
We haven't heard from our local USCIS office, but probably because USCIS had originally put us into "Category 2". We sent copies (and translations) of our Haitian adoption decrees, which is what they said they needed to re-classify us. Then they asked for a couple more papers, which we were thankfully able to get from our Haitian lawyer, got translated, and sent in. We haven't heard back, but are hoping they've approved us for "Category 1" and have forwarded our paperwork on to the Iowa office. (I haven't heard of other Iowa families being contacted though - most were in other states.)
This appointment with USCIS will be no small task though. I've heard from other families that USCIS is apparently wanting all of these completed by September 30th. They're scheduling the appointments with little (less than 2 weeks') notice, and are not flexible with the scheduling at all.
That'll be interesting, considering that there are numerous documents that we need to have filled out and bring with us, along with the hefty fees for some of them. Both of us have to attend, and both kids. We'll make it work, but the difficult part is going to be the medical forms. The medical forms have to be filled out by a "Civil Surgeon" (basically a USCIS-approved physician), and he has to examine both kids and their medical information that we'll have to get from our regular pediatrician. They have to make sure they're healthy (i.e. don't have TB or STDs), and that they've had the required immunizations. I believe we're still shy one or two immunization, and then we can make appointments for the Civil Surgeon and get those papers filled out.
I don't quite know how all of this is going to all happen by September 30th (if that's Iowa's goal for completion as well), but we're ready to jump through just about any hoop that stands in the way of getting this all finalized. It's been almost 8 months of question marks, and I'm ready to change them to happy exclamation points. I'm ready for my kids to officially become US Citizens. Then we'll proceed with Iowa recognizing the Haitian adoption, getting them US birth certificates, changing their names, etc. We're praying that ALL will be accomplished by year's end.
We haven't heard from our local USCIS office, but probably because USCIS had originally put us into "Category 2". We sent copies (and translations) of our Haitian adoption decrees, which is what they said they needed to re-classify us. Then they asked for a couple more papers, which we were thankfully able to get from our Haitian lawyer, got translated, and sent in. We haven't heard back, but are hoping they've approved us for "Category 1" and have forwarded our paperwork on to the Iowa office. (I haven't heard of other Iowa families being contacted though - most were in other states.)
This appointment with USCIS will be no small task though. I've heard from other families that USCIS is apparently wanting all of these completed by September 30th. They're scheduling the appointments with little (less than 2 weeks') notice, and are not flexible with the scheduling at all.
That'll be interesting, considering that there are numerous documents that we need to have filled out and bring with us, along with the hefty fees for some of them. Both of us have to attend, and both kids. We'll make it work, but the difficult part is going to be the medical forms. The medical forms have to be filled out by a "Civil Surgeon" (basically a USCIS-approved physician), and he has to examine both kids and their medical information that we'll have to get from our regular pediatrician. They have to make sure they're healthy (i.e. don't have TB or STDs), and that they've had the required immunizations. I believe we're still shy one or two immunization, and then we can make appointments for the Civil Surgeon and get those papers filled out.
I don't quite know how all of this is going to all happen by September 30th (if that's Iowa's goal for completion as well), but we're ready to jump through just about any hoop that stands in the way of getting this all finalized. It's been almost 8 months of question marks, and I'm ready to change them to happy exclamation points. I'm ready for my kids to officially become US Citizens. Then we'll proceed with Iowa recognizing the Haitian adoption, getting them US birth certificates, changing their names, etc. We're praying that ALL will be accomplished by year's end.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Random Fall Insanity
Well, our busy fall season is upon us - even if it is still technically summer for a couple more weeks. School has started (3 weeks ago already!), Awana has started, Kaylen starts soccer this week (first practice tonight & tomorrow, game Saturday), Elijah starts soccer next week (1 hour Saturdays only for 6 weeks). Then next week, bring on the appointments - hearing screening, eye doctor, immunizations.
I finally finished filling out our 2009 taxes. I'd filed for an extension, because I wasn't sure on how to complete the adoption credit paperwork. I finally found some documentation that showed that you can do the federal credit either the year the adoption is finalized overseas, or the year it's finalized in our state. But, since the kids are not yet US Citizens - and since our adoption overseas was technically finalized in late 2008, we decided to do it for 2010. Can't wait to get our refunds - too bad they're already spent - probably on all the stuff we have to do to complete the adoption/citizenship paperwork! (More on the adoption stuff later.)
Now that it's cooler outside, we're going to try to get done some outdoor projects on the weekends (in between soccer games) - like fixing our window well, winterizing the garden (although we're still getting tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers), cleaning up a madly overgrown landscaping bed, working on thelawnweeds, etc.
And I have to travel out of town for a 2-day meeting tomorrow (one overnight). That leaves Jock to handle daycare pick-up, supper, soccer practices, and our adult Bible study, all in the same night. Then getting them home to bed and back to daycare/school the next morning. And hopefully there are no potty accidents at daycare, or he'll be restocking the backpack(s) as well. Yikes - well, I'll get it all laid out for him. Pray for his sanity, and that he and the kids get to where they need to be, when they need to be. :)
Maybe while I'm enjoying the peace and quiet of my hotel room (after a LOOOOOOOONNNNNNG afternoon of meetings that go through and past supper), I'll have a chance to work on catching up on some blog posts - ha! We did do some fun stuff this summer that hasn't been documented yet - like going to Adventureland, the Iowa State Fair, our Labor Day Weekend, gardening/canning, and some other fun stuff. I'll get caught up... maybe... eventually...
I finally finished filling out our 2009 taxes. I'd filed for an extension, because I wasn't sure on how to complete the adoption credit paperwork. I finally found some documentation that showed that you can do the federal credit either the year the adoption is finalized overseas, or the year it's finalized in our state. But, since the kids are not yet US Citizens - and since our adoption overseas was technically finalized in late 2008, we decided to do it for 2010. Can't wait to get our refunds - too bad they're already spent - probably on all the stuff we have to do to complete the adoption/citizenship paperwork! (More on the adoption stuff later.)
Now that it's cooler outside, we're going to try to get done some outdoor projects on the weekends (in between soccer games) - like fixing our window well, winterizing the garden (although we're still getting tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers), cleaning up a madly overgrown landscaping bed, working on the
And I have to travel out of town for a 2-day meeting tomorrow (one overnight). That leaves Jock to handle daycare pick-up, supper, soccer practices, and our adult Bible study, all in the same night. Then getting them home to bed and back to daycare/school the next morning. And hopefully there are no potty accidents at daycare, or he'll be restocking the backpack(s) as well. Yikes - well, I'll get it all laid out for him. Pray for his sanity, and that he and the kids get to where they need to be, when they need to be. :)
Maybe while I'm enjoying the peace and quiet of my hotel room (after a LOOOOOOOONNNNNNG afternoon of meetings that go through and past supper), I'll have a chance to work on catching up on some blog posts - ha! We did do some fun stuff this summer that hasn't been documented yet - like going to Adventureland, the Iowa State Fair, our Labor Day Weekend, gardening/canning, and some other fun stuff. I'll get caught up... maybe... eventually...
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