Five Birthdays in November

Three of our daughters share the same birthday! Lora, Ella and Lucy each had birthdays on NOVEMBER 23rd!

Lora is in China Town, New York, so she celebrated her birthday there this year. We missed her but are praying for her in her missionary work.

Ella's 4th birthday cake was a rice crispy treat cake made with her favorite cereal which is like Cocoa Puffs with marshmallow bits in it. Yum! She let Timmy blow out the candles.

Lucy enjoyed her first birthday cake! She dove right into it!

Gabriel had a birthday on NOVEMBER 16th. He celebrated a quarter of a century! He had an ice cream cake from Dairy Queen.

Janina had a birthday on NOVEMBER 13th. She says that now she's reached the age where she's old enough for everything, including adopting from China. :o) Janina is expecting a baby in January. Here she is pictured with her children Genevieve and Collin, born September 2006.

Her cake was a cheesecake this year, as hers and Marty's wedding cake was ten years ago this December.

And the audiogram says...

"Nothing at all," according to the testers. Meaning they couldn't tell anything from it. Ella didn't turn to the sounds or lights and although she quickly learned the tech in the room with us wanted her to put another toy in the bucket and she'd do that, she didn't seem to do it in response to the request from the audiologist in the other room who spoke over the intercom. She wouldn't hold still for a tympanogram (sp?) (putting little cone-shaped things with wires connected in her ears to test for fluid) and what they did get from one ear was "flat", meaning she may again have fluid. She has been on antibiotics for ear/sinus infections three times since her last set of tubes were put in in August.

The ENT then cleaned and examined her ears (with much hard work invested by several in the room) and pronounced one tube out already; lying in the left ear. He said, "Let's get an ABR done on her today and order hearing aids if she needs them. Tubes are very difficult to get into her ears, have to be altered and then fall out quickly."

Providentially, it was nearing Ella's nap time and so when they gave her the sedative this time she fell asleep and they were able to do a successful ABR. This tests a child while they're sleeping to see how their brain reacts to sounds. I didn't get to see it, I was the one watching Timmy and Lucy in the waiting room. Ella fell asleep on Papa's shoulder because he's a big warm teddy bear and she loves him to hold her. When she was good and asleep they put her in a crib in the testing room for about 45 minutes.

She passed the ABR in both ears! Hurray!!! But because she struggles with so many ear infections due to the anatomy of her ear canals (smaller than even most kids' with Down syndrome), and has been deaf much of her life and her hearing will most likely continue to be intermittant-- long sentence, breath-- we were instructed by the audiologist to "continue to teach her sign language". Which we try to do with each of the kids. She did actually sign "more" and "all done" during the audiogram.

Timmy's ears were fine, both tubes were still intact. YAY! And we go back again in three months.

*Oh, and the specialist that has been testing Ella's blood has ordered more labs again, he's had us get her extra vaccinations, and has written "immune deficiency" on her paperwork. The pediatric nurse explained that this means Ella has less ability to fight off illnesses. Hopefully her immune system will get better over time.

She is an extremely endearing child and I just wish I could capture more of her smiles on film.

Museum visit

We had a fun day at the children's museum! We visited with family and aside from Joel and Ella getting soaking wet in two different water exibits, all went well. It was hectic but enjoyable. Thank you for coming to visit with us, we love you!

Adoption Awareness Program by the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati

Here is the link to find out more about adopting U.S. babies with Down syndrome:

Adoption Awareness Program by the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati

Robin Steele says that she gets many calls from birth families because of prenatal testing and it's good to have families who are ready and waiting to adopt these babies.

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Garrett is growing!

Here is one of my favorite recent photos of our grandson Garrett. He's five months old now. Isn't he cute?! They are coming out for Christmas. I'm so excited to see Milly, Ben and Garrett again!

November is National Adoption Month

And October was National Down Syndrome Month. I don't want to talk about it so much that you get tired of hearing it, but, well, it's all dear to my heart.

A lot has gone on since I last posted. I was so frustrated with whatever it is that I'm doing wrong on this new updated blogger that I had to take a break from it...hopefully I'll get better at this.

In case you're wondering: Mike and I adopted our four youngest children domestically (in the USA). I've always wanted to adopt internationally, but our income is such that we don't qualify at the US immigrations level to adopt an orphan waiting in an international orphanage. But for many families, it's a great option. And it is literally saving a life.

Each of our four little ones came to us as infants. They were born in various states and there were agency fees and travel each time. But the people who referred them to us do not charge anything for their services. I have asterisked those on the sidebar that we have worked with. I have only good things to say about Robin Steele of the Down syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati, and also Adopt America Network. If you have any questions, feel free to email me. My address is below our picture on the upper part of the sidebar.

My favorite scripture has always been the one where Jesus said, "Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God." His words touch me deeply.

In the USA, babies who are discovered prenatally to have Down syndrome are most often aborted. This is heartbreaking!!! 

Mike and I stand against abortion.

And we love our kids! ALL of them. I wish I could tell you how much.

Give the Gift of a Family to a Child this Christmas

The Angel Tree is now officially open! 
This is something that I place in your view with all of my heart, just as I place the gospel of Jesus Christ in your reach here on my blog under our photo to the right. Please take the time to watch this video montage by clicking on the "rainbow" icon below.

I have been working with this ministry since October of 2006,
when a baby girl I had been praying for in Guatemala died from
heart complications. If she had been able to have surgery she would
have lived, and it broke my heart to know that babies and children
with Down syndrome in other countries around the world are in such
poorer circumstances, left in orphanages like in days past in our
country, left to live out their lives in mental institutions if they aren't
adopted by the age of four or five. I found Reece's Rainbow that 
same day, searching for a way to make a difference. I know that
this ministry is really making a difference; I've watched many
orphans come home to forever families because they are brought
into the light and people are realizing they are waiting.
And because of the grants that are raised here, to help with the
expenses of adoption.

Please watch the montage and click on the ornament on the upper right side of my blog to see the photos of the waiting orphans with Down syndrome. If you can't adopt, maybe you can make a donation so that someone else can.

Each time I see my little "angels" smile at me as they wake up in the morning I think of those little ones waiting for their Mommies and Daddies to find them and bring them home where they can be lovingly greeted each morning with warm hugs and kisses.

Love,

Dolores

Click on graphic below:

Reece's Rainbow


(Please forgive my choppy text as I am learning to use this new updated version of blogger, thank you.)