We celebrated Thanksgiving in PA with my Dad and Grammy. We had a great trip up and back. We enjoyed getting to introduce Ananya to more family. The temperature dropped 30 degrees Thanksgiving day. I was kind of glad because it felt like a true PA Thanksgiving. I was so thankful as I carried Ananya around all day. This time last year I felt horrible. I didn't know when my baby was coming home. It was bad and actually got worse before we received Guardianship. This year was great though. Next year will be even better. We got pictures taken while in PA as you can see. There was a purpose which is the subject of my OUT. Not a huge secret really anymore but... WE ARE ADOPTING AGAIN. We hope to have Prasun home by June to be with us. He is 2.75 years old. 33 days younger than Ananya. I hope we get a new picture soon but here is one from earlier this summer. I have added his blog to my blog list on the right. We have a picture of Ananya and Prasun together in the orphanage before we picked her up.
I'm screaming this for all to hear. Pass the word on. Make people talk about it. There are millions of children waiting for homes. While my family pursued an international adoption from India, the options are countless. Foster care is a wonderful system. They need great families. There are LOTS of older children that need homes. If you haven't opened your heart to adoption and are reading this, come on. Join us. Parenting is a great adventure. Here is a short article that I wrote for the next newsletter from our adoption agency, Dillon International.
Waiting Children: What the Medical Reports Don't Tell You
She waited in the crib. At nine-months old, she weighed in at a tiny 11 pounds, could barely sit on her own and could not pull up in the bed she shared with another child. Across the world, we were also waiting. We longed for a daughter, a sister for our son. God was pushing our hearts toward adoption- not of the "perfect" child, but of the child He intended to be our daughter. The waiting ended in February 2007 when we adopted Ananya from the Indian Society for the Rehabilitation of Children (ISRC) in Kolkata, India. She is the blessing God put in our hearts two years ago and her smile lights up our home. While in the care of the ISRC, Ananya received medical care and regular visits from a physical therapist. The medical reports we received from India were accurate: she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, low birth weight, and a seizure disorder. There were no surprises; we were handed the child that was described to us. We have since learned some things the medical reports don't tell you: how a child can sprout with the daily care and love of a family. In only a couple of months, she could crawl all over the house. Her understanding of language came shortly thereafter. Her bonding has been extraordinary. She quickly learned to trust me and is firmly attached to me. No medical report could describe how much our family has grown in the last eight months. Each of us has learned to be patient, less selfish, to look at people differently. Our weeks are filled with physical therapy sessions and we rarely go a month without a visit to the doctor, but all this is minute compared to the joy we receive daily from having Ananya in our family. A medical report also could not have predicted that I would become an advocate for the adoption of waiting children. Fear of the unknown can be a hard emotion to overcome. Find a good doctor and let them review the medical information; most medical problems can fbe fixed or managed. Consider the adoption of a waiting child. You may be amazed at what comes next.
All I can say is please get involved. If you do feel the push to adopt, you can help other families. There are many organizations that help families fund their adoptions. There are also organizations, such as Dillon that do mission work in many of the countries where there are a large number of orphans. If you can't open your heart, open your wallet. Amanda
This is Ananya's favorite thing. Playing with the kitten. They play everyday. It's so cute. This is my loaf of fresh bread. I've had the stinkin' breadmaker for like 9 years and this is the first time I've ever gotten a load that is shaped normal and not hard as a brick. My last 2 caved in at the top but were good. This one looks perfect. I actually almost got rid of the bread maker because I couldn't get the bread right. So glad that I didn't.
We've finally reached November. Its FINALLY getting cool. The leaves are changing and its time for sweaters. I'm so glad. We have the party behind us. Now its time to prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I remember this time last year I wasn't a happy girl. We were suffering through THE JUDGE PROBLEM. I now know it was God. He delayed our process for a reason. Its very clear to us now. This Christmas will be good. We are together. Next Christmas should be even better. I hope everyone is enjoying (except maybe Kristy) the change in the weather. I'll try to keep up with my posting. I'm mulling alot through my brain lately. I may get into it later. If I do, I'll try to put pretty pictures in the middle, even if the subject isn't the most uplifting. I can't decide whether to start a new blog for just my rantings. I have alot of them. What do you guys think? Well I'm going to go for tonight. I shall return soon. Amanda
We celebrated Thanksgiving in PA with my Dad and Grammy. We had a great trip up and back. We enjoyed getting to introduce Ananya to more family. The temperature dropped 30 degrees Thanksgiving day. I was kind of glad because it felt like a true PA Thanksgiving. I was so thankful as I carried Ananya around all day. This time last year I felt horrible. I didn't know when my baby was coming home. It was bad and actually got worse before we received Guardianship. This year was great though. Next year will be even better.
