tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17413042961478701422024-03-05T09:49:29.611-08:00Becca's BlessingBecca's Blessing is the Beautiful Blessing of a Chosen Daughter from Peru.Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-31059394206703141262012-04-08T19:00:00.018-07:002012-04-08T21:09:35.484-07:00Blessed..... Beyond Measure!<div>What a wonderful weekend! I got to celebrate One Year with my Precious Peruvian and then celebrate My Risen Lord! He is risen indeed! Celebrating One Year simply reminds me that He came to redeem us! He came that we might have life! He came to work miracles in the lives of sinners like me, to bring about such an incredible blessing! Happy Easter!
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<br />We had such a busy but great weekend! For our Blessing Day we went to the Zoo to see the Llamas (well, our zoo only has one) and the elephants and giraffes.... her favorite animals! The Llama was hilarious, he had his back to all the people coming by to see him in the petting zoo... but he did turn around to check us out! She LOVES giraffes and we got to see them up close, she was soooo excited! Later after celebrating a birthday dinner for dear friends, we came home to make Llama cookies. She had so much fun, and even more fun eating her Llama cookies.
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<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCq9PhxFdugMtZtx6m62VRJ6zsRmjNOQ8_kFGo7Z509M00Lz1NEqbk1q35fJV5ppMUi-_PDSJPZZYBBwbKoD_8BrejolzTI2XQ_B2QQAUHIhGbtednAr3hcOel8N1jAo8FduR7HIXVgsro/s1600/051.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729221028358515922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCq9PhxFdugMtZtx6m62VRJ6zsRmjNOQ8_kFGo7Z509M00Lz1NEqbk1q35fJV5ppMUi-_PDSJPZZYBBwbKoD_8BrejolzTI2XQ_B2QQAUHIhGbtednAr3hcOel8N1jAo8FduR7HIXVgsro/s320/051.JPG" /></a>
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<br />a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4TbaohXiKquoQstXhTYMwrUrEJOi7rU7sA943JmbeenyX2d1QhZ6JkY4MlTLM1qm7EhAw60WXOb91HKboB1337-A3M1C6_DvFIH-QtHW6tnpsxXnPeachU0m8RPQfOCgw3Kn2OmFX7J_/s1600/060.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM4TbaohXiKquoQstXhTYMwrUrEJOi7rU7sA943JmbeenyX2d1QhZ6JkY4MlTLM1qm7EhAw60WXOb91HKboB1337-A3M1C6_DvFIH-QtHW6tnpsxXnPeachU0m8RPQfOCgw3Kn2OmFX7J_/s320/060.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729237789251792066" /></a>
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-zdeRIPhzUKmkqbOxuN5j36tJn14CD9BN9vkPkWsQNIepnVDpY5WqSN_NUl0XPfA1QifXzbpxpRg730fi9tWGXpZgbrKGcEffLV8IV-GYpugtfFk0ul6WX_7VSNPilBlMXXfy9c-Wj5P/s1600/IMG_1569.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV-zdeRIPhzUKmkqbOxuN5j36tJn14CD9BN9vkPkWsQNIepnVDpY5WqSN_NUl0XPfA1QifXzbpxpRg730fi9tWGXpZgbrKGcEffLV8IV-GYpugtfFk0ul6WX_7VSNPilBlMXXfy9c-Wj5P/s320/IMG_1569.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729237509569177362" /></a>
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<br />Saturday, we participated in her first ever Easter Egg Hunt! We had a great time "finding the Easter Eggs! She also got to see the "Princesses", these are young ladies who serve as ambassadors for our city at city-wide events. She thought they were great! Then we came home for a nap, then a walk with our dog Mia and her "Lady Bug" and stroller. She is soooo funny walking her doll just like Mama walks her in the stroller! Then we dyed Easter eggs, she thought it was great to see them come out a different color!</div>
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVjq92tgsmcx8wjYvPP_nD1d4ARhCaa_T0_SyAv9oy72O9WF0OYzIyFHQniUbMGnqAPTzTEifHhWxaiGPiGBkNYrrw2aDNZecHYxf98ZZGw1EGU10WTtXZrsWIr5Amuj4csU5CH5ByNvg/s1600/IMG_1554.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlVjq92tgsmcx8wjYvPP_nD1d4ARhCaa_T0_SyAv9oy72O9WF0OYzIyFHQniUbMGnqAPTzTEifHhWxaiGPiGBkNYrrw2aDNZecHYxf98ZZGw1EGU10WTtXZrsWIr5Amuj4csU5CH5ByNvg/s320/IMG_1554.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729241397893870642" /></a>
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<br /><div>Then today, we celebrated our Risen Savior at church and then we had dinner with our good hunt Easter eggs again to find what kind of yummy treats they might find! What a blessed day! I am constantly reminded of how much our Savior loves and cares for us everyday! What joy!</div>
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhORK5GktKnHkX7h6OfOxhY3mtEziZLgB7ZTRGtroULUVPVghJL-gSTcrC_fYKqeDqwa-FlM7VK95fA1XegTW_gtXvoiayAd7nShqBd9I2yeniMhL-sbJUCHCNQpxjK3XXNS3zl3NY3vDCu/s1600/IMG_1578.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhORK5GktKnHkX7h6OfOxhY3mtEziZLgB7ZTRGtroULUVPVghJL-gSTcrC_fYKqeDqwa-FlM7VK95fA1XegTW_gtXvoiayAd7nShqBd9I2yeniMhL-sbJUCHCNQpxjK3XXNS3zl3NY3vDCu/s320/IMG_1578.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729246230677504098" /></a>
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<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-tbKkq3CWGxRJwa3MgWGYlZ8-CiizLh5eM_N-0nslaRLAyPaQ0FcckFUDBLzMmP7Dio7_ylMIw8IxH4eFvSLarnDM87Pyv8LOgavJ8cc1_4A4dDPcIRuuyehzm99s7W5JqASf0bd_JzY/s1600/IMG_1615.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN-tbKkq3CWGxRJwa3MgWGYlZ8-CiizLh5eM_N-0nslaRLAyPaQ0FcckFUDBLzMmP7Dio7_ylMIw8IxH4eFvSLarnDM87Pyv8LOgavJ8cc1_4A4dDPcIRuuyehzm99s7W5JqASf0bd_JzY/s320/IMG_1615.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5729242647217717042" /></a>
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<br /><div>Striving to Make His Glory Known!</div>
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<br />Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-36961924484397542532012-04-05T19:21:00.013-07:002012-04-05T21:03:05.116-07:00One year!"Not one word of all the good promises that the LORD had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass." Joshua 21:45<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1V5j23ctzXSKLpQNjbaXRGT-GJHVuIMaBUkkCDwtG59KVPcuSj48gG_UV3IPw8Tfwe1DiUjm4ab-gc0zMeAvPV6U9FVdqXFza0p41BZZbzlKPleSnKyJ0OJlaJox98ExAp8AcdxgQIEF/s1600/pilar+y+mi+mama+%252863%2529.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh1V5j23ctzXSKLpQNjbaXRGT-GJHVuIMaBUkkCDwtG59KVPcuSj48gG_UV3IPw8Tfwe1DiUjm4ab-gc0zMeAvPV6U9FVdqXFza0p41BZZbzlKPleSnKyJ0OJlaJox98ExAp8AcdxgQIEF/s320/pilar+y+mi+mama+%252863%2529.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728123534404424450" /></a><br />One year ago...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqr_bap-j7Af6zWm97L0RIl-QeHHoeJAwmsGIsHp3aIODj-9DUEr0RzOYxGyv1hmYHRtCsOwyuKvDh4Tg7NvLEA9puoUv94lRhmggC0NTrpG6PIWv0U5AohMCf4Y-nonJoAiP17yUvHE7/s1600/IMG_0157.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBqr_bap-j7Af6zWm97L0RIl-QeHHoeJAwmsGIsHp3aIODj-9DUEr0RzOYxGyv1hmYHRtCsOwyuKvDh4Tg7NvLEA9puoUv94lRhmggC0NTrpG6PIWv0U5AohMCf4Y-nonJoAiP17yUvHE7/s320/IMG_0157.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728130125714915682" /></a><br />And Today....<br /><br /><br />Well, I have started this blog a couple of times, wrote a good bit last night, and quite honestly just didn't know where to begin! So, I am going to begin with this:<br /><br />"... 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you." Matthew 28:7<br /><br />Now I am sure you were thinking "Hey, this is a One Year Blessing Day post, right? Well, yes it is! You see it is because Jesus is alive and in my heart that this adoption was even made possible! It was God who planted this desire in my heart, and God who brought it to pass! But, if it weren't for Christ's death on the cross this could never be! Last year I was in Peru for Easter, and Easter was the end of our Family Placement week.... this year, Easter is just days after our Blessing day... I can't help but be reminded that it was becuase of Christ's death on the cross that saved me from my sins and his resurrection that gives me a future and a hope!<br /><br />One year ago today, I met my Precious Peruvian for the first time, I am still speechless over the miracle that God perfomred that day! It is still just as fresh in my mind today as it was one year ago! I was recently looking at the magnificent gift that her orphanage gave me, and entire collection of pictures of her from the time she enered the orphanage at 3 days old, and I could hardly believe my eyes! You see, my Precious Peruvian isn't the same as she was one year ago, even her face looks different! It is so incredible to see how she has grown physically, intelectually and emotionally. She has grown 6 inches and gained about 6 pounds. She went from wearing a size 24 months to wearing a 4T in exactly one year! (Yep, I've been buying a lot of clothes! HaHa!) She now talks all the time. She still doesn't have everything down and sometimes only Mama can understand her, but she is talking all the time! A lot of times I can tell she is talking like me! It is too funny! She can identify all of her colors and has a favorite... purple! She can count to 10 with no help and spontaneously does it on her own! One time, I heard her counting to 25.... she hasn't done it again, but she did it for sure that one time! :-) She knows and recognizes all of her vowels and the sounds that they make. She can also do this with about 3-4 other letters. She is finally answering questions, especially "yes/no" questions with quickness and accuracy! She can answer "What is it questions... if she knows what the item is. She sings all the time! This makes my heart smile because I see it as a sign of a happy, well-adjusted child! She loves to play her guitar and her piano that we have here at home. Every once in a while, I will realize that her singing is a song..... that she has made up! :-) She is happy, loves school, loves playing with (more like aggrivating) the dog! She loves being at home.... but that is a good thing, it means she feels safe here! She has come a long way, and says "Hello & Good-by" to who Mama says "Hello & Goodbye to" and interacts well with our close friends and family members! She is just growing soooo fast! I can hardly believe it as each day goes by! I am so blessed and humbled to be called Mama!<br />There is just sooo much to say, but not enough time or space..... and yes, I know I should blog more! :-) But, this is what I want her to look back and read about our One year Blessing Day.... This is my letter of dedication to her, as I dedicated her to the Lord on October 16, 2011. <br /><br />My Precious Peruvian,<br /> “….For truly I say unto you, if you have faith as small as a grain of mustard seed you can say to this mountain: “Move from here to there.” And it will be done. Nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20<br />Many years ago a tiny seed was planted in my heart. Soon, it began to grow and grow until one day God said “You can do this!” That day was here in this church as another Mom who chose her child, like I chose you, was dedicating her little girl. God had planted the seed, but it took faith to make the seed grow it, and as I began my journey to you, I took the biggest leap of faith I have ever taken, knowing all along that God was holding my hand! For you see, God had a beautiful plan, from even before time began, He had chosen the two of us to be together. You are CHOSEN my beautiful one!<br />In my journey to you there were a lot of challenges and struggles, but God gave me Matthew 17:20 to hold onto for the entire journey! I held onto this promise form God like nothing else I have ever trusted him for! Then, when I read your file, something in my heart stirred and I asked God for even more faith! As I was praying over you, I found a baby name book and decided to see your name’s Christian meaning. Pilar means “Strong in Faith” and the verse accompanying your name was Matthew 17:20! I knew that very day that God had heard my heart’s cry and that He was about to make Himself known, because this was the very verse that HE had given me at the very beginning of my journey to you!<br /> After much prayer and petition I requested you! There were so many mountains standing between us, I didn’t know if it would even be possible for us to be together, yet I held on to this verse! Then on Christmas Eve 2010 God chose to reveal His plan for you and me! God showed me that He was still in the miracle business and that You are my very own miracle! Mountains moved that day, in such an amazing way!<br />As I finally got to travel in April of this year to get you, I could hardly believe what God had already done! Little did I know that what was still ahead! On the day I met you, you were so timid and unsure of yourself, yet as we played you would look at me, and you knew, you just knew that we were chosen for one another! I will never forget my first hug and kiss that day! You see, God had heard my prayer for attachment from the very beginning of my journey. You are my precious waiting Angel and God has given me the greatest gift!<br />My sweet one, life will be hard for us at times. We will struggle and you may one day have lots of questions without answers. But, God is with you. He has you in the palm of his hand! May you always value honesty, giving to others and above all may you desire a heart like his! Because music is such a joy of both of us, I have chosen this song for you, and may it always resonate in your heart all the days of your life! May you always hold onto your mustard seed because God has a beautiful plan for your life! God is faithful!"<br /><br />One year is an amazing milestone.... I must admit that it came here so quickly that I barely saw it coming! And, God is soooo good! I have lots of times compared my journey to that of the Israelites.... here is just another piece of that journey! You see, one year ago today, I crossed over the Jordan and took hold of my piece of the Promised Land. But, just like the Israelites, there were giants in my Promised Land...... and boy were there giants!! Some of them we mean and ugly, some of them like to weigh you down with guilt and dispair. Some of the giants were parts of my Precious one's past.... and some of the giants were inside of me! I learned very quick that Mommyhood has its really ugly moments and moments that I mess up and don't think that anything good can come from it. But, just as with the Israelites, God has taken care of me! He has provided my Manna every day! He has fought my battles, and He has protected us! You see God knew that I.... just like the Israelites would be walking into difficult times and situations, but as I am often reminded HE IS IN CONTROL! <br /><br />What now?!? Well, we will continue on our journey through the Promised Land!I pray that we will walk with the Lord all the days of our lives and that God will continue to knit our hearts together and will continue the bonding process between us. God is faithful, so incredibly faithful! I can't wait to see what He has in store next!<br /><br />Below are some pics of the last few months... and, tomorow we celebrate our Blessing Day (Forever Family Day) together and I'll try to post some pics of her first Easter and our day tomorrow.Again, thank you for journeying with us and praying for us! Please continue to pray that God will give me the wisdom and grace I need on a daily basis to best love and care for my most Precious Gift! Please continue to pray for her as she continues to grow and catch up! She has come sooo far, but we still have a ways to go.... but God has this under control too!<br /><br />Striving to Make His Glory Known for He has done GREAT things!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4NPzIoZ-otMt3RBezuMc1QNMSBXnCDgyPVqCfYFIMH8MMxEkpazc9jnkHC5zeHYFD58zwnIPtfi4uSY66c_BhDmG-KGwYRL4p2PXLgw4pnSjjL1tUnr7ST7Q6ubo6koBgDc_2izIQ2SJJ/s1600/img_7791e.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4NPzIoZ-otMt3RBezuMc1QNMSBXnCDgyPVqCfYFIMH8MMxEkpazc9jnkHC5zeHYFD58zwnIPtfi4uSY66c_BhDmG-KGwYRL4p2PXLgw4pnSjjL1tUnr7ST7Q6ubo6koBgDc_2izIQ2SJJ/s320/img_7791e.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728125360406122226" /></a><br />The dress that I had hoped she would wear today... but she grew too fast! This was taken in August of last year.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6WOaK0U3knJJGqCN1yjUIGCSggmEKYFmW3tO8WdQj2HeIsZcY8Xi3nIbIjzGkKu1cFDKNvPcBjCz2y1bJsDzlYdQbu1hvFVQ7eBvpucI_K701miZDoQP8DJZkkZxSWGo5Awog4niBwvc7/s1600/63.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6WOaK0U3knJJGqCN1yjUIGCSggmEKYFmW3tO8WdQj2HeIsZcY8Xi3nIbIjzGkKu1cFDKNvPcBjCz2y1bJsDzlYdQbu1hvFVQ7eBvpucI_K701miZDoQP8DJZkkZxSWGo5Awog4niBwvc7/s320/63.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728122905803686354" /></a><br />Birthday picture of my beautiful girl!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeC_BJa2KePImxTBRDpbEdI3q9j3NeTljw_2ukgwn66N4eHGcfUrALgDcICAlA3M4R7iiEGqGzltpwyZU3ZqSG8q8Z2XY41PKxoHOQG7pSb7NIeU72kD7T31R0FsMgWe0TlrvzLvvEUdmz/s1600/IMG_0117.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeC_BJa2KePImxTBRDpbEdI3q9j3NeTljw_2ukgwn66N4eHGcfUrALgDcICAlA3M4R7iiEGqGzltpwyZU3ZqSG8q8Z2XY41PKxoHOQG7pSb7NIeU72kD7T31R0FsMgWe0TlrvzLvvEUdmz/s320/IMG_0117.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728130711991141378" /></a><br />We still LOVE our "Papa Lay", but we do eat the baked kind now!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXIgRlg-gnnrLkC6MV_yILtri7OpvpfEDiZXj20js8B7NEoRCvXh7uFkMAm3ikRuacAxTF-QivaOhD0JwVObWaMImOlXfm1iHUw5QpFuL6zeZO6vNtWf097eZixn4XxznXu4ndDbIXJisM/s1600/IMG_0124.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXIgRlg-gnnrLkC6MV_yILtri7OpvpfEDiZXj20js8B7NEoRCvXh7uFkMAm3ikRuacAxTF-QivaOhD0JwVObWaMImOlXfm1iHUw5QpFuL6zeZO6vNtWf097eZixn4XxznXu4ndDbIXJisM/s320/IMG_0124.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728131697837720258" /></a><br />Look at me climbing at the park!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxF2nghkzQD10qCtatTXtsP_BlnZ7qB3Bh035j5goZ0Ug7yToWJoQWu6HCdrMS-Bnd2cArngTqoUYWOrE7ftfTI41n8NVlZmKURGhwpQl5mMybKAqXj8-hY8VeQRe9t29PeSZrEWqI9Q51/s1600/IMG_0125.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxF2nghkzQD10qCtatTXtsP_BlnZ7qB3Bh035j5goZ0Ug7yToWJoQWu6HCdrMS-Bnd2cArngTqoUYWOrE7ftfTI41n8NVlZmKURGhwpQl5mMybKAqXj8-hY8VeQRe9t29PeSZrEWqI9Q51/s320/IMG_0125.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728132210094038162" /></a><br />Some more park fun.... she loves the slides!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIvCvF7eyny99aw1N3AmyzG7tOdGwzYbwxlL8fom79UczXl80MqwianmYPy1umnU8z9nUNljoslkTrQw8Tybt4fzDItQStH9BvKOeaJF2Ej9lsRoB5IDsWIIEWAu3MnGAESuoCWFxvhNh/s1600/DSCN0876.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPIvCvF7eyny99aw1N3AmyzG7tOdGwzYbwxlL8fom79UczXl80MqwianmYPy1umnU8z9nUNljoslkTrQw8Tybt4fzDItQStH9BvKOeaJF2Ej9lsRoB5IDsWIIEWAu3MnGAESuoCWFxvhNh/s320/DSCN0876.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5728132950677841842" /></a><br />Then there was my trip to Disney to see Mickey & Minnie Mouse... while she really loves them, they were a little scary to her in person.... but she did enjoy seeing them!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-78330461453294748702012-03-29T19:46:00.004-07:002012-03-29T21:04:02.787-07:00My VillageWell.... as you can see, this is the reason I NEVER make "New Year's Resolutions".... they usually end up being "Little White Lies" because I can rarely keep them! So sorry! I have had several blogs brewing in my mind and heart of the last 3 months.... just no time to sit down and write them out! But, we are coming up on our one year anniversary and I promise a full update and pics on that blog next week! I can't miss our 1 year post.... and I won't let you miss it either!<br /><br />But this particular blog has been brewing in my heart for a long while now.... it is about "My Village". You know the saying: "It takes a village..." well, I (AKA Miss Independent) have learned so much and have come to appreciate my "Village" so much over the last year. This blog is dedicated to YOU!<br /><br />Let's see.... where do I begin! Here is one place I want to start.... in college, I was very involved in Discipleship groups, and we had a "Discipleship Family".... there is me, the girl who discipled me (we will call her "M") and the one who discipled her "C". Well, I told a sweet and longtime friend who was being discipled with me by "M" that I was adopting. Suddenly I started getting phone calls from "M" and "C" and it seems that indepently of each other we had all decided to adopt....and we were all in process together AT THE SAME TIME! I can not even begin to express how cool it is that God chose us to fulfill His plan, and we all shared in and studied His word together over 20 years ago. If you had asked any of us then if we thought we would be adopting... I don't know that we would have had the same answer! But, I am amazed at how somewhere along the way HE saw fit to put us all on the same journey at the same time. We are all home with our children now.(from 3 different continents)... our processes were all finalized within months of each other....what amazing joy it has been to share this journey with you my friends!<br /><br />Then, there is my "Village" who has prayed for me, supported me, loved on me and offered me a helping hand every step of my journey! God, placed one friend (a neighbor actually) in my life, who had just adopted her little girl, just as I was starting my process. Then through my process, so many supported me with love and prayers. And, God has chosen to work in the lives of some of these and widened our "Adoption Village" as two have adopted or are in process to adopt and one chose to care for little ones through Foster care. One week, not too long ago, I thought my heart would leap out of my chest out of pure joy for those who had prayed for me and supported me, God had brought to three of them, the fruition of His plan all within one week! It was amazing! I am overjoyed at what He has done and the encouragement that these people have had on me! I am so thankful for the listening ears of other friends. Friends who just invite us to come "hang out", make cookies, watch movies, visit and share with one another. For these I am also eternally thankful, this is what encourages my heart!<br /><br />I am so thankful for my Facebook Peru group! You all inspire me and encourage me every step of the way! There are some precious friends on FB, who I so hope to meet one day, and we are bound together forever by our love for sweet, beautiful children of the King! I am so encouraged by their journies. They too have prayed for me, encouraged me with their words and stood in the gap for me on countless occasions! (Sorry guys for not keeping up with the blogs!)<br /><br />Then there is my sweet church family! I could not have made it before and certainly not now without your love and encouragement. I know that there are those who just pray and pray for us, and I may never know who they are. I know that they are standing in the gap for me and oh, how they love my Precious Peruvian! I am so thankful for the words of wisdom, encouragement, and for sharing in my precious joy as I brought my Precious Peruvian home! I have had to step out of a lot of things at church b/c of routines and schedules, and I miss my involvement terribly, but my sweet church continues to understand and stand in the gap for me.<br /><br />Then there are the many others in various places like work, my "growing-up" home, her daycare that care for us, pray for us and love on us on a daily basis. Everytime someone stops to ask how Little Bit is doing, it is such an encouragement to me. Sadly, I think they get more than they bargained for some days! :-) There are her therapists, these are five of the most amazing women in the world! They have worked with my Precious Peruvian and with Mama and you just can't imagine how far she has come in a year...sorry, that is for next week's blog!<br /><br />Then, there is my family. They are all so eager to know more and to see us MORE. :-) I am so blessed to have a family that absolutely adores my Precious Peruvian! I have been so incredibly loved by their love for my child... it is hard to explain, but to see the joy that she brings them, makes my heart happy!<br /><br />And, by no means least (and I am sure I left out a zillion people in my village!) is my Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, the one in charge of this "Village" I live in.... to Him be all glory and honor FOREVER! I stand in awe of Him every single day! There are those days that are just so hard, days that I have had to pray for "supernatural" strength.... He has ALWAYS provided! I have learned so much about Him since the beginning of this journey! He is "Abba Father", "Healer" "Provider", "Protector" "Counselor", "Friend"! There have been so many times and days when I just fell on my kness and said "Lord, I really messed that up!" "Lord, I can not take another second." "Lord, I need some grace, most of the time for me and sometimes for others!" "Lord, how do I do this?" "Lord, I am so weak!" "Lord, Mom Guilt is killing me!" I am walking, living proof that He NEVER tires of hearing from His beloved children! Oh, how thankful I am! I have had many times in my life where I have had to depend on God, but I have discovered in parenting that there are times when He is my dependence! He is the one who carries me! He is the one who provides all of these amazing people in my "Village" to care for me and to show me His love! And, my joy and hope come from the Lord!<br /><br />So, THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I am so thankful to everyone that God has placed in our lives to lift us up and hold us up throughout the last year! I have been so blessed by each and every one that God has placed in my path, so that I might be able to carry on and journey in joy! Thank you for journeying with me! Will you please continue with me on this journey of love that God has called me to?!? And, I too will continue to journey with you! Love & Blessings to all of you!<br />Striving to Make His Glory Known!<br /><br />"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galations 6:9Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-85813179435476807932012-01-03T18:39:00.000-08:002012-01-03T19:50:56.329-08:00Remembering When....CAUTION!! --- EXTREMELY LONG BLOG!!--- BUT WORTH IT! <br />Written on Christmas Eve....<br /><br />My soul magnifies the Lord….!<br />It was one year ago TODAY that I found out the news from Peru that I would be receiving the greatest gift anyone could ever ask for, next to Salvation! My sweet Precious Peruvian would become forever mine! And, WOW! What a year it has been! <br />An AMAZING ride!<br />A living testimony of God’s goodness and faithfulness!<br />A trip to Peru…..<br />Meeting my child for the first time….<br />Experiencing so many new things….<br />Adjusting to new routines…..<br />Adjusting to MORE new routines….<br />And, experiencing our firsts:<br /> First visit with family<br /> First Independence Day<br /> First Halloween<br /> First Thanksgiving<br /> First visit with Santa<br /> First big car ride<br /> First Christmas with her family<br />And yet, there are so many more things for the list!<br />What an enormous joy this year has been! I have been AMAZED at God’s goodness and grace all year long! Yes, there were difficult times, struggles, some times when I am sure each of us thought that we may never get used to something new that we had never experienced before…..it has all been worth it, every single minute!<br />As I sit here and type this blog, I am reminded of how I told God last year, “Lord, not my will, but Thine will be done!” And, I meant it! And, God’s will was done and is being done! I pray that daily I am fulfilling God’s will and strive daily to be the Godly parent that God would have me be……NOT PERFECT…. Won’t ever be there, but I strive to live by His word. That means that Mama has learned lots of new things this year! There have been days of great triumph and days where I felt like such a huge failure! The biggest lesson I have learned is that parenting is a life –long lesson in HUMILITY! And, “Mom”is the MOST REWARDING title ever given to a human being!<br />I have really been pondering Mary this year, and her position as Mother of the Savior of the World! (Funny thing, this topic was on my mind and then our Preacher at church talked on this very topic this year…. Hmmm…interesting!) Anyhow, what must it have been like for her? I mean honestly, did she have to discipline Jesus when he was a little boy? Potty training? Training Him up in the way he should go? Wow! Some days I just hope I get it right….. can you imagine?!? But, just as Mary did two thousand years ago, she said, “Lord, not my will, but yours be done…” and she trusted Him. I daily strive to do the same thing…. Trusting Him to help me be the Mom that my Precious Peruvian needs and that God would have me to be! (Granted, there are a few things that I learned along the way to add to my New Year’s Resolutions for 2012!) But, my prayer is one of Thanksgiving and Praise for being able to see and hold the heart of God this year! God’s heart is for the orphan, and what an amazing privilege (Not as Amazing as Mary’s privilege, yet Incredible in its own right) to be blessed with the beauty and joy of having my Precious Peruvian at HOME! God is sooooo good and so faithful, there aren’t even enough words for the page!<br />Well, I know this will be a really loooonnnggg blog….. but it has been a while in coming! Let me give you an update on my sweet Precious Peruvian! <br />We are making more and more new strides every single day! Every day is like a little surprise package just waiting to be opened! In the last month, she has really just opened up! She talks all the time, now bear in mind, it isn’t all understandable all of the time….. sometimes it isn’t even Spanish or English! She has created her own language and it often times has the intonation of Minnie mouse’s voice! HILARIOUS! But, honestly, she practices her talking all the time! This is such an amazing thing considering she would say about 5 words/phrases 8 months ago when I met her for the first time!<br />She identifies her animals, and gives them all the correct sound… most of the time! “Mooo” is without a doubt her most favorite animal sound and depending on the day, ALL animals say “Moooo”! <br />She can identify a lot of her colors and has chosen a “favorite” color…..PURPLE! She has a pair of purple socks and she gets sooo excited about putting them on for bedtime… it is too funny!<br />She has really started identifying and recognizing people…. And calling them by name! She loves her Grammie and Paw-Paw (who she calls “Papas” which means “potatoes” in Spanish! HaHa!) She got to see her Uncle Bubba & Aunt Stephie and cousins for Thanksgiving and again this week for Christmas! We had a good trip to visit with Aunt Mary & Uncle Jack and she got to meet some more of her cousins. And, now she is getting to meet the rest of the family for Christmas!<br />She is really starting to get the idea of Home and the permanency of it! After our Thanksgiving trip, she really started understanding what it meant to go “home”…. What a great feeling!<br />She is loving her school! She loves to go every day and is talking more and more with the other children there! The language barrier is still a bit of an issue, but she is overcoming that very quickly! She has so much fun there that sometimes she doesn’t want to leave… oh what a good that does this Mama’s heart!<br />She is learning to express her emotions in words….Phew! Mama is so glad! We still have a long way to go with this one, but she is coming along! She identifies “happy” and “mad/angry” really well! She isn’t afraid to express her opinion either! She has started understanding “yes” and “no” and will answer “yes/no” questions with a pretty good accuracy! However, she is quite the “teaser” and will sometimes say “no” or “yes” depending on the question, just to see your response! Too funny!<br />Her personality has really started coming out! She is a funny one! She loves to laugh and sing…. And oh do we sing! She has most songs learned after the 2nd or 3rd time of hearing them. She might not have all the words down, but she has the tune perfectly and sings it at the top of her lungs! For example, tonight…. In the tub…. She was singing “Jingle Bells” at the top of her lungs! I did video it, but since she was in the tub, not going to post it on the blog…. It was soooo cute though! She loves the “Hey!” part! She is learning lots of new things musically speaking…. She knows how to keep a steady beat, she is matching pitch a majority of the time and she loves to hear and learn new music, especially if it is sung by Mickey or Minnie Mouse or the Veggie Tales! She just loves to sing her heart out! And, it brings such joy to my soul to hear her! So, sometimes, if you live nearby and see me singing to the top of my lungs…. We are just enjoying a little musical family time! <br />She is doing great with her various therapies and is coming along quite well in almost all of her areas of development. We are still a bit behind, but she is improving dramatically! Thank you for your prayers in this area! We have also been for all of our check-ups except for the eye doctor. Our latest visit was to the dentist, where surprisingly she had NO cavities! I was shocked…. Especially because we have a “Skittle” economy at our house…. We call them “candies” and she gets 2 or 3 for using the potty, cooperating with Mama, etc…… but thanks be to God, no more check-ups until the summer! And, she is doing really well!<br />Well, I know you really want to see some pics….. I have so many to upload that I am going to just upload them…. They will be of our Thanksgiving, a train ride to the “North Pole”, our visit from Santa at our house to find out what she might want for Christmas (which by the way, she doesn’t totally understand just yet!) and our Christmas visit with her cousins! And, you will also see pics of our first Christmas morning!<br />And…….my New Year’s Resolution for 2012 is to keep up with the blog a little better!! Soooo sorry! Thank you to all of you who have prayed us through 2011…. It has been such an Amazing Ride… and I am so thankful for the MANY who have stood in the gap for us! <br />Blessings & Love…. And continuing to strive to make His Glory Known!<br />Becca<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMghfnR9sOg207ooLLlXtS1Ld0COWUSMI3cVToDrUx1UpjZSpr0PlSKBXHfROm7isi2Y2RV3BRWjvAjHFiE2ttmTXnFF3ILZVfvoIUXw7OcZscR-JnB4X-hG90lt2UGaRmcda_7rndYrd/s1600/DSCN0789.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKMghfnR9sOg207ooLLlXtS1Ld0COWUSMI3cVToDrUx1UpjZSpr0PlSKBXHfROm7isi2Y2RV3BRWjvAjHFiE2ttmTXnFF3ILZVfvoIUXw7OcZscR-JnB4X-hG90lt2UGaRmcda_7rndYrd/s320/DSCN0789.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693602531196866690" /></a><br />Thanksgiving with her cousins and eating Thanksgiving feast for the first time was fun!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoXhtlV_cj0iwFHGC5nLEC5OwG9WxndUBXZbl4f5dXIp2CskDDES8-MEz2prmenpndY7icOCYHiLVagDv_KvnMqShurjASIgbKRXE0Q2TV7pB1mW8qCezOhnT3CNyOaQLAcIEkc1kauAP/s1600/IMG_1205.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizoXhtlV_cj0iwFHGC5nLEC5OwG9WxndUBXZbl4f5dXIp2CskDDES8-MEz2prmenpndY7icOCYHiLVagDv_KvnMqShurjASIgbKRXE0Q2TV7pB1mW8qCezOhnT3CNyOaQLAcIEkc1kauAP/s320/IMG_1205.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693610832891945714" /></a><br />Helping out with the tree decorating... she tried really hard to get those ornaments to stay!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFyiQ1aGKJPoi7hJClCjLDiwaUAwyucii92EyAcTP7Uo1T87bOGMUwiQqlLQ1K75oxBoL_N6vtkOZE0sUcke-8MHdu0Wie3odXsVBDuars-Ab5DyEEQFKcX6MA_vf64FwM4yw5oVtnd6sr/s1600/IMG_1242.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFyiQ1aGKJPoi7hJClCjLDiwaUAwyucii92EyAcTP7Uo1T87bOGMUwiQqlLQ1K75oxBoL_N6vtkOZE0sUcke-8MHdu0Wie3odXsVBDuars-Ab5DyEEQFKcX6MA_vf64FwM4yw5oVtnd6sr/s320/IMG_1242.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693612012013438402" /></a><br />Our train ride to the "North Pole" with our sweet friends.... and Santa was there too!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmTdBhhjggfUWqOUP3pMLvmgSc8VOaio9XvFY4LFBmg0y6xdpVGFLdfCmOmFhJKST8-XPk56bmgsITGzar6UqS0N-8xd4Q8fs1XW__PqRrEjttWE4K3eG3bcALod5tndliw532F9Ne0G0G/s1600/IMG_1251.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmTdBhhjggfUWqOUP3pMLvmgSc8VOaio9XvFY4LFBmg0y6xdpVGFLdfCmOmFhJKST8-XPk56bmgsITGzar6UqS0N-8xd4Q8fs1XW__PqRrEjttWE4K3eG3bcALod5tndliw532F9Ne0G0G/s320/IMG_1251.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693612779025716098" /></a><br />Baking cookies for Santa's visit to our house!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxinVhNdeSO5Wl3GXqLDQn8WgWsRIpYOdk9m6ZN1q-jaufQIURrXuHSnGwyRwbGC6v0iIZm8_mw4x4kpwyc03thOc5eJIT06z2NoQchYj-U-0rHPT1PNN0puUq1vCjmdzEJac5L96n9A8/s1600/IMG_1289.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 251px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxinVhNdeSO5Wl3GXqLDQn8WgWsRIpYOdk9m6ZN1q-jaufQIURrXuHSnGwyRwbGC6v0iIZm8_mw4x4kpwyc03thOc5eJIT06z2NoQchYj-U-0rHPT1PNN0puUq1vCjmdzEJac5L96n9A8/s320/IMG_1289.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693613583671148258" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4ntJ2wLM22f7l_VPiuo8x3CWVERWI3v8x6tyiUuJiSkQ4BbVKO17u-Urs15YtTZd42JEj8KaRn_K-x8j9fFXmNNszqZE6hAt79wZ-FK7rWISoav0TlDV-94Ud638PPhwC-btU8Som5KN/s1600/IMG_1303.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4ntJ2wLM22f7l_VPiuo8x3CWVERWI3v8x6tyiUuJiSkQ4BbVKO17u-Urs15YtTZd42JEj8KaRn_K-x8j9fFXmNNszqZE6hAt79wZ-FK7rWISoav0TlDV-94Ud638PPhwC-btU8Som5KN/s320/IMG_1303.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693613577756871410" /></a><br />At first she wasn't so sure of Santa, but after a few minutes she warmed up to him, and had a great time with her visit with Santa....at our house! So fun!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTftSAfgCybaNEFohIZVBUeEx8AFE0qiMYuqC7qWYxlj0k-PPi0SbJ1TkH3GX94Eql0F8VJLRWlY7R4AJg4DTZsnXiz2kCiRQb4Ggtw-gnym-6b5ouE48EMf8RcYKyj7y-5_to6YQikK24/s1600/IMG_1408.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTftSAfgCybaNEFohIZVBUeEx8AFE0qiMYuqC7qWYxlj0k-PPi0SbJ1TkH3GX94Eql0F8VJLRWlY7R4AJg4DTZsnXiz2kCiRQb4Ggtw-gnym-6b5ouE48EMf8RcYKyj7y-5_to6YQikK24/s320/IMG_1408.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693614382798533986" /></a><br />Christmas with her cousins...yes, she has them wrapped around her little finger... they adore her, and she has so much fun with them!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVen8fyzb-FdUMQx6hGM5lHqThizxGYoqjqTxZ0ZygeCiheunP1hebiy2br-IVrvRU-U_E_K6xXwQ6uwFgIIStyrkXxwOAVwOL-QKzb1hVKhDdhjRRno-zm4vbqbxzfbzGEdHycUkHg4Qi/s1600/IMG_1430.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVen8fyzb-FdUMQx6hGM5lHqThizxGYoqjqTxZ0ZygeCiheunP1hebiy2br-IVrvRU-U_E_K6xXwQ6uwFgIIStyrkXxwOAVwOL-QKzb1hVKhDdhjRRno-zm4vbqbxzfbzGEdHycUkHg4Qi/s320/IMG_1430.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693615386760150610" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIpNl24ffWzj8auUS_P3wfy6ETsZpbkPvLExm-dW-s7v2sVcYWp4imeLWLwMJEFmWlPV9kyGfXbuj_Q3Fym7PTAp-SA4WUPqZW-hqt_SbfTv404A1jybQL6AmDQJNUsjnXuz2lGSxcT1F9/s1600/IMG_1434.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 242px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIpNl24ffWzj8auUS_P3wfy6ETsZpbkPvLExm-dW-s7v2sVcYWp4imeLWLwMJEFmWlPV9kyGfXbuj_Q3Fym7PTAp-SA4WUPqZW-hqt_SbfTv404A1jybQL6AmDQJNUsjnXuz2lGSxcT1F9/s320/IMG_1434.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693615382860114274" /></a><br />Her Christmas present...a ukelele.... she spotted it right off, and we didn't open another present for 30 minutes! She loves it, has played it and played it... the challenge is keeping it in tune so that Mama doesn't go crazy, but she loves playing it!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNM1wpmKR14pF9JGK1N2KguXy18QDbekzsulslu58SVFrAgRBz5HfGszCqUfEWc3u-bignU4TqNcNB4KqEoxTXqATViRE7ADNvECnYN-t_hN3u9Vhf5ueQh_KC41kelTI5gY_GLpxiuitj/s1600/IMG_1441.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNM1wpmKR14pF9JGK1N2KguXy18QDbekzsulslu58SVFrAgRBz5HfGszCqUfEWc3u-bignU4TqNcNB4KqEoxTXqATViRE7ADNvECnYN-t_hN3u9Vhf5ueQh_KC41kelTI5gY_GLpxiuitj/s320/IMG_1441.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693616299936850738" /></a><br />Her other favorite Christmas gift.... her Minnie Mouse "bicycles" (as she says it!)<br /><br />And..... just when you thought you were finished ---- Here are pics from her Birthday Bash on December 31st with the family and her sweet cousin whose birthday is just a few days after my Precious Peruvian's!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjannRS2k3uVM9cJu0tsJTY9vPsrM4bYvzSRcAWqwsvxs7N_8O8G4JNDTl4cGVBIVBm9FbvUKLqgVyB8X6QAGaK0oRlbsZXwQQ4Vr7O6CmLrB6cDWF1WEO0tk6fTd6a8iq5OawNK0y3vJiP/s1600/IMG_1468.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjannRS2k3uVM9cJu0tsJTY9vPsrM4bYvzSRcAWqwsvxs7N_8O8G4JNDTl4cGVBIVBm9FbvUKLqgVyB8X6QAGaK0oRlbsZXwQQ4Vr7O6CmLrB6cDWF1WEO0tk6fTd6a8iq5OawNK0y3vJiP/s320/IMG_1468.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693618193361387202" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfOG8iZZKbmcihdMiu6GDcwpKFbJvIZJXfE8oRidGrg9BSbsWgPBzSYoKpkQXD0LUQFwps0AhR1Kbc-owD7A4icqYpnMN3QcHoLwdP49scyQBDJmqcugTQUvQrIXujeEwyTR-bYTKukd8/s1600/IMG_1472.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfOG8iZZKbmcihdMiu6GDcwpKFbJvIZJXfE8oRidGrg9BSbsWgPBzSYoKpkQXD0LUQFwps0AhR1Kbc-owD7A4icqYpnMN3QcHoLwdP49scyQBDJmqcugTQUvQrIXujeEwyTR-bYTKukd8/s320/IMG_1472.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693618170165127698" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadUZxbCHgjSkyZ0PgjYjlTMnPX58f2ygZ1TU_FOtuSj6Svh2gOgpHHXcsrMr08sc6Eo31Pb3eQjOqqFjk7KtY7K7_FlLztiT6nn1-EDGPGru6VK-ni8GEKCvd-jargstg2bG-1RJJKIOW/s1600/IMG_1498.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadUZxbCHgjSkyZ0PgjYjlTMnPX58f2ygZ1TU_FOtuSj6Svh2gOgpHHXcsrMr08sc6Eo31Pb3eQjOqqFjk7KtY7K7_FlLztiT6nn1-EDGPGru6VK-ni8GEKCvd-jargstg2bG-1RJJKIOW/s320/IMG_1498.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693618166679974082" /></a><br /><br />And, last but not least.... my favorite... she got to meet her Great-Grandmother for the first time while we were visiting Grammie for Christmas.... here are 4 generations, some born from tummies.... and ONE born from God's heart!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjso9_LKUtJ-Zu0oVbyLGgmnX7MQGf6xvJdnzk1OlLh_nzSSQmNn0XuslZQTP1rCfDk7fDuK1xkaTbRXgZoidfDFP4CnX2GpvMNj2KVdw99SBpA2sVk_pZ2zQkqJ-DQyaj8Pr3oBQgtq8vO/s1600/IMG_1491.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjso9_LKUtJ-Zu0oVbyLGgmnX7MQGf6xvJdnzk1OlLh_nzSSQmNn0XuslZQTP1rCfDk7fDuK1xkaTbRXgZoidfDFP4CnX2GpvMNj2KVdw99SBpA2sVk_pZ2zQkqJ-DQyaj8Pr3oBQgtq8vO/s320/IMG_1491.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693619123543310754" /></a>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-81078392074627968372011-10-25T18:24:00.000-07:002011-10-25T20:04:05.038-07:00One year. Six Months. Many Blessings!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYvhq_Xoyc0xTqhyQoLBRoNCaUy9dCx7Qxq_mW-NTqHXLag_MHKeogtnW_DptQUrkle5TOzGM8452BRv1B3MCgE31oS30P35cATzEm5OP9-LGONmXGSN9xOWudpmAstAybCJit_bK-5G5/s1600/IMG_7467ebw%255B1%255D.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnYvhq_Xoyc0xTqhyQoLBRoNCaUy9dCx7Qxq_mW-NTqHXLag_MHKeogtnW_DptQUrkle5TOzGM8452BRv1B3MCgE31oS30P35cATzEm5OP9-LGONmXGSN9xOWudpmAstAybCJit_bK-5G5/s320/IMG_7467ebw%255B1%255D.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667630257041982594" /></a><br />Where to start.... One year ago TODAY I read my Precious Peruvian's file, and yes, while thinking I was positviely insane, there was a small whisper that said, "She's the one!" Let me share with you a little about how God works.... because it is ALL for HIS glory and honor that I share this blog!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWhYmC3Ej7AOsX43kZLqGK3Cjoq0GFSh3Qai7KMEJZXTsHMbzAlJ3GoSoqvcyHN1Ot9_eZPOHFTKL00sDDJIMJjSzzoBEM7VQ-xAgHGEAG4G-UGKJQAHMrQAm7G9WQsrv0sehX9Z92rkx/s1600/Picture1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmWhYmC3Ej7AOsX43kZLqGK3Cjoq0GFSh3Qai7KMEJZXTsHMbzAlJ3GoSoqvcyHN1Ot9_eZPOHFTKL00sDDJIMJjSzzoBEM7VQ-xAgHGEAG4G-UGKJQAHMrQAm7G9WQsrv0sehX9Z92rkx/s320/Picture1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667620628363096674" /></a><br />I had always heard that many adoption stories happened on significant dates. Well, I thought, that wouldn't ever be true for my story, it is neat, but does it really happen? TODAY, one year ago, I read her file and shared her story with my Mom. TODAY is my Mom's birthday! Months passed and the Spirit led me to request this little one, and the matching meeting was on December 23rd.... 11 years ago, we got a terrible phone call that my Father was very ill and probably wouldn't make it. He passed away on December 24th. (Christmas has always been a difficult time of year for me.... although I chose to be joyous.) I found out on December 24th that this Precious Peruvian would now be called my daughter! On Christmas Day, I sent my letter of acceptance for her to Peru. Our Blessing Day was on April 5th, my nephew's birthday! You see, God planted our significant dates on these other dates for the special reason of reminding me how BIG He is and because each of the birthdays are special days, and to show how He can make beauty from the ashes! So, ONE YEAR AGO, HE chose this special day to be an extra-special day! I don't know if everyone's journey has such a story, but I thought I would share a bit of God's amazing goodness to add blessings upon blessings and make beautiful what had once been a very difficult time!<br /><br />SIX MONTHS! Tomorrow will be 6 months since she was officially, no longet an orphan! 6 months ago I signed the adoption papers that forever made her a part of my family! It is so hard to believe that it has already been six months! We had our 6 month follow up home study report last week. When asked what I remember of life before her, I had to honestly say that I almost can't remember life without her! Amazing how your life can change so quickly and so beautifuly!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCsX3i86S-zb7Zf1GOP4OgDOCrgaaBnrxsVjfnV7zzxkLBkqsuftdAomvBO4DPjSh6dKcZOFT7b4CKGfqwKYGFsPadZgNx_GhtWZKr4pvIBrbF-M9w97_8FuUeypEcaKGhKOwUkCo9ZgRJ/s1600/DSCN0469.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCsX3i86S-zb7Zf1GOP4OgDOCrgaaBnrxsVjfnV7zzxkLBkqsuftdAomvBO4DPjSh6dKcZOFT7b4CKGfqwKYGFsPadZgNx_GhtWZKr4pvIBrbF-M9w97_8FuUeypEcaKGhKOwUkCo9ZgRJ/s320/DSCN0469.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667621192342345634" /></a><br />On October 16th, I participated in the parent/child dedication at my church and vowed to love her, cherish her and raise her in a home and with a church that will point her to Christ! This was such a neat ceremony because we all got to read letters to our children.... except, I almost didn't make it through the first line...."My Precious Peruvian..." I could barely read the letter to her because God had done so much, I was so overwhelmed with His goodness and provision that there were no words, only tears! Happy Tears! But, God was good and Little Bit did great! It was such a blessing to have some of my family here, several friends and a church family, who have agreed to come along side me and support me in my efforts to raise her in a Godly home and to teach her of His love!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvQ2hClBEkunx9x-srPMMmtj6-Qhb34qDt9JFy1cInxHBcaCN-K_OB-Rfa_LoVUWSuCp5RfwhzY-zbn8QM41kDpsOFMA7jUtFyJTtqMvvtz3kJ2BYJk2L8aXf3Xp76AtPzuVjwT32Sueg/s1600/IMG_1153.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbvQ2hClBEkunx9x-srPMMmtj6-Qhb34qDt9JFy1cInxHBcaCN-K_OB-Rfa_LoVUWSuCp5RfwhzY-zbn8QM41kDpsOFMA7jUtFyJTtqMvvtz3kJ2BYJk2L8aXf3Xp76AtPzuVjwT32Sueg/s320/IMG_1153.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667623346052739634" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBR-skdPNU_fjhBHl51RNn9Bjnr2IAbqiyTWict3ZNO0xgKxCl1FeIMebDfUeA32UJkufYiXmEv1Sw-vd1VYcl7_VRVWRjmek7id2CYk_ieW-Cc-5nlcH6zsmXGzwru5aae3pTZAqF81A/s1600/IMG_1142.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBR-skdPNU_fjhBHl51RNn9Bjnr2IAbqiyTWict3ZNO0xgKxCl1FeIMebDfUeA32UJkufYiXmEv1Sw-vd1VYcl7_VRVWRjmek7id2CYk_ieW-Cc-5nlcH6zsmXGzwru5aae3pTZAqF81A/s320/IMG_1142.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667623334130080066" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMAK5QrXlwrqREYm_7BNxCe-XfaIysGgiewvq7ATJlJawAEu5d3_6tYPkBxfcLnZq03fBsh5wF5MK1qn1STFuVwQGuKc0tZu0gDLODH9hAORsIzvydM6-CiOJRG_Z2nWNAp0D2vYbHksW/s1600/IMG_1129.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMAK5QrXlwrqREYm_7BNxCe-XfaIysGgiewvq7ATJlJawAEu5d3_6tYPkBxfcLnZq03fBsh5wF5MK1qn1STFuVwQGuKc0tZu0gDLODH9hAORsIzvydM6-CiOJRG_Z2nWNAp0D2vYbHksW/s320/IMG_1129.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667623327593758354" /></a><br />Well, another great thing about today.... we had an appointment with an audiologist today b/c she came with a report of being slightly deaf in her right ear. Well, yet another issue in her medical file that has been negated! She isn't deaf in one ear at all, she doesn't hear certain tones in one ear, but these tones are mostly considered insignificant tones (they are like the background noise tones) and she more than makes up for them with her other ear. We are now almost done with her appointments..... and almost nothing in her file has turned out to be as it is written in it! Praise God from whome ALL blessings flow! He is the Master Healer and Protector of EVERYTHING! Incredible! And, what is even more incredible is that she did great for the audiologists! She even though it was kind of fun! I am thanking God for this incredible Blessing!<br /><br />Because everyone asks.... "How is her English coming along?" Let me tell you! She says "Roll Tide!" and "Move the Chains!" very well thanks to Grammie! She is so funny saying it too! And, she will be glad to say it for you whenever you want to hear it! Nothing could make Grammie's day more than to have her own little Alabama fan! It is TOO cute! She is also saying a host of other things both in English and in Spanish. Her receptive language (what she understands) in both languages is incredible... and her English may be surpassing her Spanish in this area. Her Spanish expressive (what she can say and express) have really come a long way in six months. We still have a lot of work to do though! She really struggles with her exprsessive language and so we are working very hard to develop this more. I believe that she is getting to a point where her receptive language is so good that she gets frustrated becasue she just can not make the words come out of her mouth and be understood! Oh, I have a feeling that we are almost there though! She is getting there and we are putting words to her emotions to help give her words to express herself.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0DSPAas9UQAnSxrCnn6Pl4e1uJMcARV0hG94Hwd2b5wXfUlU-pF3jnotZ_Lzp9p6dacYigGXmecD5n4NfbdMyQ0dIih3O6I_wX0ePG0mnhD5T8_oc_liB_C_bsze9KlJo9ZN-AEblF5t4/s1600/IMG_1088.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0DSPAas9UQAnSxrCnn6Pl4e1uJMcARV0hG94Hwd2b5wXfUlU-pF3jnotZ_Lzp9p6dacYigGXmecD5n4NfbdMyQ0dIih3O6I_wX0ePG0mnhD5T8_oc_liB_C_bsze9KlJo9ZN-AEblF5t4/s320/IMG_1088.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667625461915174706" /></a><br />Showing off her Tide Pride!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XHxsjqbZ_JTRkkSNhTpoEc96Lxy3vB2rx0SZgfvtmmCrhaBJ6GW3l8D5EEMixhAv3dKm5uxNlfiIFiqN_5idjHEUIafMMZ4I1d_RJjWKt1BIwOehpW-I2ejL7_viugJfQDsg6jkMQszc/s1600/IMG_1180.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6XHxsjqbZ_JTRkkSNhTpoEc96Lxy3vB2rx0SZgfvtmmCrhaBJ6GW3l8D5EEMixhAv3dKm5uxNlfiIFiqN_5idjHEUIafMMZ4I1d_RJjWKt1BIwOehpW-I2ejL7_viugJfQDsg6jkMQszc/s320/IMG_1180.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667625459010949234" /></a><br />Celebrating Grammie's Birthday ( a little early( with a very yummy cupcake!<br /><br />She LOVES "chool".... and in fact she actually called it "Sssschool" the other day! I was so excited! She does new stuff everyday, in fact I try to remember it so that I can put it in the blog, but I just can't keep it all in my head! I see such amazing things from her everyday! One thing I have really noticed about her in the last week or two, she is singing ALL the TIME! Now, we all know she loves to sing anyway, but this is such a sign to me of her adjustment and confidence and happiness at home. Mama's heart is so full! We are learning some tough things like the word "No" and that it means don't do it the FIRST time that Mama says NO! I do think this is harder on Mama than her though, I really do! It is so hard to say "No" but it is something she has to learn, especially so that she will say "No" to whatever might come her way that isn't good for her! But, overall, we are doing GREAT! We have our tough moments, and honestly there are sometimes that she doesn't like Mama because Mama won't allow her to do whatever she wants, and sometimes Mama just doesn't like bad behavior or attitudes. But, the glorious thing is that it is only for a moment and then we move on! Such a beautiful lesson, in life there are millions of times that you just have to let things go!<br /><br />She has learned what a pumpkin is and she LOVES them! We currently have 4 real pumpkins in our house, two of which get carried EVERYWHERE! We bought her candy bucket for "trick-or-treating" this weekend and it is a pumpking. I thought she wanted a pink one... she VERY QUICKLY let me know she didn't want a pink one, she wanted the ORANGE one..... I mean, since when are pumpkins pink?!? So, we carry the two smaller pumpkins in our pumpkin bucket EVERYWHERE! I took her to a farm where they have a HUGE pumpkin patch. We did a hay ride and went out to pick out our very own pumpkins...... Oh my! She LOVED it!! I can only imagine it from her perspective, there were acres and acres of pumpkins EVERYWHERE! She thought it was the best thing ever! It was such a fun Mama - Precious Peruvian day! She also got to see and touch cotton in its raw form, learned about hay bales, saw the cows (which she very cordially said "Moo" to every one of them!), she saw horses, goats and a real turkey! It was so much fun!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fOwt2Q3E2rL9FKz6xLwlie-OvtUn99OFzAyibnr9v8fjeKd0wuaBcHxx2NX2U2bj21R_bh_6DBHC0PnK90i9aDoE1AFqfd_uU_gOF7Jws36jfiR8ZIMdDsQtPU4IVa62hWkSBzIIEFb7/s1600/DSCN0759.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1fOwt2Q3E2rL9FKz6xLwlie-OvtUn99OFzAyibnr9v8fjeKd0wuaBcHxx2NX2U2bj21R_bh_6DBHC0PnK90i9aDoE1AFqfd_uU_gOF7Jws36jfiR8ZIMdDsQtPU4IVa62hWkSBzIIEFb7/s320/DSCN0759.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667627538631724018" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWuLO5bF_IBZWBCHNMEc9vthUx_j5ANQadg-LAZ497SEK2fK1HJy69dAddF1vcyTq9IPFTfG6SAkrBfui1PR6t3eUb6TCTZNUx9A4Sb3zbxPljUuGXgx5vY_TU8O9KMhKvdYhIOJjvctb/s1600/DSCN0760.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrWuLO5bF_IBZWBCHNMEc9vthUx_j5ANQadg-LAZ497SEK2fK1HJy69dAddF1vcyTq9IPFTfG6SAkrBfui1PR6t3eUb6TCTZNUx9A4Sb3zbxPljUuGXgx5vY_TU8O9KMhKvdYhIOJjvctb/s320/DSCN0760.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667627530786819522" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9AedfQB-Ihqa-6_b4NffE-yqyEfeSR7_PJxkwTiLz7mu9udb-612_0dljY59AtPM27RTvUoungDFMdyNzJ7k2_4d13R9PO2whdXnfC8VxvEWJmxrTTsfvMS_yvY7uuB31lqcwPB4lzsr/s1600/DSCN0752.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW9AedfQB-Ihqa-6_b4NffE-yqyEfeSR7_PJxkwTiLz7mu9udb-612_0dljY59AtPM27RTvUoungDFMdyNzJ7k2_4d13R9PO2whdXnfC8VxvEWJmxrTTsfvMS_yvY7uuB31lqcwPB4lzsr/s320/DSCN0752.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667627519474040690" /></a><br />Well, I have lots of pictures to post, because I know that is what you really want to see.... so I am going to get busy with that! Blessing to you all and please continue to pray that I will be the parent that God would have me to be for my sweet one.... because it is through me FIRST that she will know the love of God! Please pray for wisdom, strength and courage in this journey! Mama has had a few adjustments to make and had to confess to herself that she might need some help with housework, etc.. I know everything will come together and run smoothly one day, but I am so thankful to those who are coming along side me and supporting me in prayer, love and GRACE! Blessings!<br />Striving to make His Glory known!<br />Becca <br />PS Just a few more pics!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybvJhauDkAp5j_c_rl_QyYn34oVM0v6kxPi14pR3t9x2c24WeDHDoVgtDNHaq3xA5oLK5b7Fom3vPt9kxdyuNJb7C-TPpq7kioxvfiwrbCV62VonQ9cBLy5ouVX_RMZqjDshZzu8SvQmk/s1600/DSCN0741.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiybvJhauDkAp5j_c_rl_QyYn34oVM0v6kxPi14pR3t9x2c24WeDHDoVgtDNHaq3xA5oLK5b7Fom3vPt9kxdyuNJb7C-TPpq7kioxvfiwrbCV62VonQ9cBLy5ouVX_RMZqjDshZzu8SvQmk/s320/DSCN0741.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667629789973935602" /></a><br />Playing music in the park with our friend Miss Karen<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj366alNiBbHPUce_6dfuefbALBId0oKthCKRM_eh77KVX8MNWMxpoL1ey9ObsoyYCfY_SOp2YHhmNWsMe45HjuNmUUU5klVPjZ59Pn5QREjzE31cxxvSTF_PEz7qZ-Yj897Hm28prV_bXt/s1600/DSCN0742.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj366alNiBbHPUce_6dfuefbALBId0oKthCKRM_eh77KVX8MNWMxpoL1ey9ObsoyYCfY_SOp2YHhmNWsMe45HjuNmUUU5klVPjZ59Pn5QREjzE31cxxvSTF_PEz7qZ-Yj897Hm28prV_bXt/s320/DSCN0742.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667629210897550338" /></a><br />Giving Miss Karen, her Music therapist, a big Thank you, Hug!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYawcPXbpTfPAvyeikWsCvfXoI0BPsLRWSvTFw3unCbeyDiZ2kWvXHXI1xPCf6NdHxJDkZEeclU5FDIs4ZxfOSP5i6DDqVN6rZnv_Em97kIB_K84qDo9jdesvXOv7WnL-e12FwhMRQ5vYF/s1600/IMG_1162.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYawcPXbpTfPAvyeikWsCvfXoI0BPsLRWSvTFw3unCbeyDiZ2kWvXHXI1xPCf6NdHxJDkZEeclU5FDIs4ZxfOSP5i6DDqVN6rZnv_Em97kIB_K84qDo9jdesvXOv7WnL-e12FwhMRQ5vYF/s320/IMG_1162.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5667629200642550770" /></a><br />Very sleepy eyes reading her new favorite bedtime story!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-38322851024891268802011-09-18T19:38:00.000-07:002011-09-18T20:36:31.819-07:00Am I Crazy?!?Shocking, I know! Two blogs in one month! I am sure that there are a MILLION things that need to be done, like the dishes and laundry, but there have been a few things on my mind lately! It might all be for me, but for some reason I just need to write this... maybe it will help someone else along the way. <br /><br />Ok-- so back to the original question...."Am I Crazy?" YEP! I am afraid so! I am crazy! What is bringing about this sudden discussion of "craziness"? Well, I was recently asked to recall the beginning of my adoption journey and why I chose to do this.... and I actually wrote on this blog "This is the craziest thing I have ever done!" And, well, YES, YES IT IS!I mean honestly, who CHOOSES to be a single parent?!? Ok so, I'll get back to the "crazy" stuff in a few minutes!<br /><br />My life is a daily journey in craziness and has been for 3 years now, ever since I started this journey! And, as I have come to realize in the last few months I can not expect people to understand why I chose to do what I did! In all reality, God has been all over my journey, from start to this very day! Who am I to question why He asked me to walk this journy with Him? My only desire is that HE be glorified for what HE has done!<br /><br />Now with that being said, I am so incredibly humbled by HIS work in my life! I almost think that people who think that those who adopt are perfect or at least think that the adoptive parents think they are perfect.... maybe I am wrong here, but this is my experience in the judgementalness of others. The truth is ADOPTIVE PARENTS ARE NO MORE PERFECT THAN THOSE WHO GIVE BIRTH TO THEIR CHILDREN! Oh my! Really?!? In fact the last five months have been a daily lesson in how IMPERFECT I really am! I make mistakes eveyday and not just in parenting! I am learning (very quickly!) that not only am I managing my own life, but that now I have someone else's life to manage as well! And, let me just give a little picture of that:<br />My Precious Peruvian needs lots of help in areas to get her caught up, I am not ashamed to say that! I am so thankful to God for the people who are helping her to get there! But, this translates to speech therapy 2X's a week, occupational therapy once a week, physical therapy on a monthly basis and music therapy once a week. (And, yep.... while I do have lots of help, I have to oversee and manage all of that!)This summer was spent doing speech and music therapy and battling with the insurance companies of her need of coverage for speech therapy. Here is another picture: Little Bit doesn't know how to tell me yet what hurts or that she doesn't feel good or that she needs a drink of water (we are working on this, and thanks be to God she is learning!) so, when she came down with a fever (all of a sudden) of 103.4... this Mamá got REALLY concerned! In the five months that I have had her this was the first time that she had run a fever, much less one like that! So, being the reasonable person that I am (and with the help of other Mommies!) I waited and took her to the pediatrician the next day. Well, what for most kids is just a throat swab, for mine (because there is VERY LITTLE medical histoy) is a series of about 4 tests and a 2 hour wait at the pediatrician's office. And, it continues... everything is a new expereince for her! So not only was this new to Mamá, it is new to her to have to depend on this new person and all these strangers (Dr's, nurses, etc) to make her feel better!<br /><br />So now, Mamá is thinking.... ok, what could I do differntly? How can I keep her form getting sick. Feeling guilty for fussing at her for being fussy, (for what I thought was no reason b/c she had been just fine 30 minutes before!). Trying to figure out the whole single Mom thing... like, how do I tell work that I have to be out again this week b/c she has a fever virus. (Yeah, didn't know what those were until I became a Mom!) And, not knowing how long I would have to be out of work this week! Mamá is learning that the most important thing in her life is this Precious and beautiful little one who needs her an aweful lot! But, she feels bad that she can't do everything that she is supposed to do.... even down to washing the dishes!<br /><br />So, Am I Crazy? Well, YES! and NO! Do I feel crazy somedays? YES! Does life feel crazy everyday? YES! Does life sometimes feel out of control? YES! Am I crazy for having taken this journey and brought this beautiful, amazing little girl into my home to give her what little I have monitarily, yet to give her ALL of the love I have in my heart? NOOOOOOOO!!! I AM NOT CRAZY! Is this crazy hard sometimes? YES! Do I wonder how in the world I will manage everything somedays? YES! Is it worth it? ABSOLUTELY YES! Would I do it again? ABSOLUTELY YES! <br /><br />The journey doesn't end when you come home and cross over into the US! In fact,that is only the beginning of a new journey! I have compared my journey to that of the Israelites to the Promised Land. I have reached the Promised Land, and it is BEAUTIFUL! But, just as there were giants in the Israelite's Promised Land, there are giants in my Promised Land too! I knew they would be there. You don't always know where a giant is lurking, but they are there and just as I knew they would, they have waged battle sometimes! The good news is this: "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me." (Phil 4:13) Do I say all of this for sympathy or for someone to feel sorry for me? ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! I chose to be obedient to God and walk this journey with Him, and just because I chose to do that, doesn't necessarily mean that I won't have any hardships or that this journey won't sometimes be really challenging! I am not exepmt just b/c I chose to bring one of God's precious children into a home! It isn't (as a quote used by my SS teacher this morning) "my great faith, but my faith (and it is almost always really small!) in a GREAT God! God is good ALL the time, even when I don't understand or know! Sometimes, well actually A LOT.... I just need grace and a prayer!<br /><br />So, back to "Am I Crazy?" again. YES! Everyday, I mess something up either at home or work or with my extended family and my friends! I forget to send e-mails, to mail my bills (sometimes!), to return phone calls, to grade a paper, to write a lesson plan, to water my plants, to take the garbage to the road, to do something I have promised.... so YES, I FEEL crazy most of the time. But the truth is that I AM CRAZY for a Precious, Beautiful Gift from God, who requires ALL of my time some days! And, I AM CRAZY for the Loving, Amazing, and GRACEFULL (not a typo) God who brought me here to this point in my journey! So, when I don't do something that needs to be done or say something that needs to be said or live up to the expectations that others have for me.... you can just say.... "Ahh! She's just CRAZY!" because, this CRAZY Mamá is only thinking of two things: her CRAZY love for one of God's own, and her CRAZY love for her Provider of all things, including Sanity!<br />Striving to Make His Glory Known!<br /><br />PS My Precious Peruvian is fine! She had a 24 hour virus and that was all! Thanks and Glory be to God! -- Sorry, no pics on this one, will post again soon!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-70569868508466105952011-09-03T19:14:00.000-07:002011-09-03T20:19:26.058-07:00It's Time for "Cool"AGAIN, oh my! I have allowed another month and then some to go by before updating the blog! I guess I am going to have to be on the once a month plan! :-)
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<br />Here are a few updates on how things are going since the last post! TREMENDOUSLY!! That's how things are going! They eye Dr. visit went badly, AGAIN, so I have just put that off for a while! We will try again later! But, all GLORY and HONOR be to God, we went to see a CP specialist b/c there was a report of a possible CP and her walk and run were really unstable..... he said NO WAY!!! And, then, just to confirm his diagnosis, she went (unprompted, mind you) to the wall and put both hands flat against it, stood on one foot, and put the other foot half way up the wall! At this point the Dr. is thinking I am crazy! I did tell him, just in case he thought I didn't have anything better to do with my time, that she had NEVER done that before! It was incredible! Then two weeks later we had a follow up appointment with the International Adoption Clinic. It was a visit to evaluate speech/langague development, and our bonding, etc. Well, here I mentioned that she was fighting me on EVERYTHING and how to deal with it. The speech pathologist was in the room during this time, and she asked if I gave her a choice about what to wear in the morning. Well, I said "Honestly, I haven't even thought about it b/c she won't make a choice between juice or milk to drink." but I promised I would give it a try. So, the next day, I gave her a choice of 2 shirts to wear.... she looked at me for a second, then grabbed the one that was not closest to her and put it to her chest. She then proceeded to let me dress her with no fights or anything! And, we haven't had any fighting Mama since then! If I had known I had a "fashionista" we could have handled this a LOT sooner! :-) But, the great thing is that since then, she has been making more choices! She will not choose between 2 things most of the time! Yay!!!
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<br />So, she started "cool" (as she calls school-- I hope she always thinks school is "cool") on August 1st. She LOVES it there! She has really blossomed and come out of her shell there! She has become more outgoing with the kids there, she loves the teachers and she even takes a nap EVERY DAY! In the last month, she has come such a long way! She is understanding more and more English..... but the amazing thing is that she can pair things in the two languages. Last week, I asked her in ENGLISH if she wanted a Lollipop and she promptly told me in Spanish "Quieres Lollipop", which means exactly the same thing! INCREDIBLE! We still struggle with telling Mommy & teachers that she has to go to the potty and/or if she hurts somewhere. Today, at dinner, she said for the first time EVER, in English "I want juice!" I asked her three times just to be sure that was what she really said! Yay!! She talks to the other children and her teachers, not all of it is comprehendable and a lot of it is in Spanish, but she is initiating conversation with them! She has even begun to call me "Mama"! At first, she always called me "aquí está Mamá" not just "Mamá, but now she is calling me Mama all the time! We are continuing on through the attachment cycle very well, I think! We have moved beyond the fighting Mama on everything, now that she knows she can make choices and has a choice, she doesn't fight everything so much! She has started learning some new things, like whining.... which unfortunately Mama doesn't like.... but this too will pass! She really doesn't do it that much, she is just trying it still and finding it doesn't work so well for her! :-) She can count from 1-10 in English and in Spanish, and loves to count all the time! I don't know if she has a number concept yet or not, but she can recite them in order. Additionally, she can recite the entire Mickey Mouse Clubhouse CD and is starting to get some of the more difficult words! We have fun singing it together, it is funny! When she wants me to sing with her she'll say "Help Please"!
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<br />And, Mama started back to school too! The first week was tough! I am starting to get used to our new routine, new bedtime, new wake-up time, etc. Sometimes it is tough, but it seems things are starting to fall into place and we are getting adjusted very well! I am more tired now, but so glad when I get to pick her up in the afternoon!! She is always sooo happy to see me! But, the great thing is she is also happy when I take her to school everyday! That is just good for a Mama's heart! God has answered sooo many prayers this month! I am just thankful that He found me faithful enough for raising this sweet Precious Little One who is just becoming so much her own person! I am so incredibly blessed by His goodness and grace! Thank you for your many thoughts and prayers! It will be 5 months (on Monday) from the first time that I saw her! I still sometimes can not believe that she is here with me! I often times just stand in awe of what God has done in our lives! She is such a blessing from Him! And, I can not believe how much she has grown and blossomed in these 5 months. She is so far from the child she was 5 months ago, it is AMAZING! And by grown.... I mean literally too! She has grown at least and inch and gained about 3-4 pounds! (This is really good considering I can't get her to eat meat, and we have determined that she can't really have a lot of dairy either!) So, thanks be to God for the great things He has done!! I celebrated my 38th birthday this last week (yeah, I am not ashamed of the years) and the only gift that I could have even asked for was already with me! What a joy it was to celebrate my birthday with my Precious Peruvian! I had waited so many years to be able to say that! And, this time last year, was beyond despair that she may never come --- but again, I marvel at God's timing and His goodness!
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<br />Again, I am sure that there are many things I am leaving out! I don't have very many pictures of her from this month, it has just been too crazy, but I do have a few! So, I will post those below! Blessings to all of you, and thank you for your continued prayers as we travel on this journey, and what a beautiful one it is!
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<br />Some additional praises! This month one of her brothers went to live with his forever family in Italy, and some friends of mine here, found out that they are getting their LONG AWAITED for children from Peru! And, one of my sweet college friends and her husband brought home their 6th child this month, he is from Bulgaria! Oh, praises be to God for the goodness that HE has shown!
<br />Striving to make His Glory known!
<br />Becca
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<br />Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-34465279311582070342011-07-24T18:45:00.000-07:002011-07-24T20:20:44.861-07:00Pressing OnWow! I can hardly believe I have allowed a month to go by before updating! So sorry! It isn't that I haven't wanted to update, but we have had several super busy weeks around here! Grammie came for two weeks at the beginning of July til' the middle of July, and we tried to get some things done! Poor Grammie got drug from here to there and everywhere! We had Dr's appointments, some that did NOT go well at all, speech and music therapy appointments, our fun times at Gymboree, another AC vent installed in Little Bit's room to cool it off a little more, (those big windows are beautiful, but sure do make a room HOT!), two trips to the Social Security Office to get her SS card (oh my!) and of course we went shopping! Little Bit needed a rocker and table and chairs of her own.... she LOVES them! Thank you Grammie!!! Then this last week we started "school". And, we have had some sibling rivalry going on at our house.... Yes, Mia, the Sassy Chihuahua and my Precious Peruvian all of a sudden became very jealous of each other! Mia was doing everything she could do aggrivate Little Bit, and just when I thought Mia would stop, Little Bit would begin retaliation! She has even learned to tattle on Mia! Oh my! I have been one tired Mama, and that doesn't even include the house cleaning! :-)<br /><br />She went to visit her new school for a couple of hours every day this past week and by the end of the week was beginning to play with the other children there and she began to participate in the activities! They tell me that she LOVES snack time, including blue JELLO which she ate 3 cups of the other day! She has also eaten a host of other things that Mama can't get her to eat at home! Too Funny! She is coming a long very well, and I think our attachment is still going well! She has really begun challenging me on everything from putting on shoes to going to sleep; as hard as this is, it is good that she challenges me. I do have to remind myself of that though because after about a month of this, Mama is tired and her patience is running out! (PLEASE, don't pray for patience for me! :-) ---- Grace, I need lots of Grace, and still more wisdom! I was reminded at church today, that I might be the only Jesus that my child ever sees.... while I don't think that will be so, I do think that she should be able to see Jesus in me FIRST! I must confess that sometimes it has been really hard to be like Jesus! I am reminded daily, that I need Jesus to help me with parenting! My Precious Peruvian is a beautiful little one, with a sweet heart, a ready smile and laugh.... and the girl LOVES her some Mickey & Minnie Mouse.... but some days we both struggle with this part of the process! So many have said, well, she is a typical 3 year old.... some kids have their "terrible 2's" when they are 3.... and yes this is partly true too. She is passing through some developmental stages (A GREAT thing) and she is beginning to practice her own independence--- that is a GREAT thing.... just sometimes hard! And, she has had even more changes...we moved to her room before my family came in June, then after Grammie left, Mama moved back to her own room... making my heart sad, probably the first time she had EVER slept in a room alone! Then we started school this week...so we keep pressing on! And, while we hit a few bumps in the road from time to time, we are doing REALLY well! Her Spanish language skills have completely exploded! She is using a lot more words and she has even begun asking for things! Yay! She even asks for things sometimes when she doesn't really want it, just to see if she will get it! We are working on TELLING Mama that she has to go to the potty, but beyond that she would be potty trained! If I ask her now, a lot of times she will tell me yes or no, sometimes accurately! She has come a long way with that! Bravo!<br /><br />This week, we start going to school for a bit longer at a time. Please pray that she will continue to love going to school and that she has a good week. We also have 2 Dr's appointments. We have to re-visit the eye Dr.... this appointment did NOT go well last time (no fault of the Dr at all!), when her eyes were dialated, she just did not understand what was going on and all the machines looked so big.... sad! And, on Tuesday we see another specialist regarding her physical motor skills. We had to book this appointment over 2 months ago, so please pray that all goes well! Please pray for her during this time, she has so many changes going on, in fact every day seems to bring changes for her! Please pray for me, Mama is tired! I LOVE being a Mama, but it is very tiring sometimes! I need prayers specifically for wisdom, strength and grace! I need grace for her and for me! Please pray that God will continue to show me how to be a Godly parent! I want more than anything to be the Mom that HE wants me to be, and sometimes I fail miserably.... so please pray that I will keep my focus on HIM and remember that I can NOT do it all on my own! And, this is in all seriousness... please pray for Mia and my Precious Peruvian to get along and for all to calm down there! Neither one is too happy about the other being here and having the same Mama! I know one day they will get used to each other! The good thing is that Mia isn't agressive towards her.... in fact she even went to check on Little Bit when she fell out of bed the other night! Good girl, Mia.... one day they will be inseperable! :-)<br /><br />Thank you for your continued prayers! I am sure that there is a ton of stuff I have left out of the last month! I will try to be better about keeping up with the blog! And, all glory be to God for the great things HE has done in our lives in the last 3 months! I am astounded every day at just how far my Little One has come since the first day I met her! That is only God, it certainly hasn't been of my doing! Thank you Lord for your goodness to us! Below are some pics of us over the last few weeks!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigC4gfxbN8C9avYHkSO71ZonRAvcsNqBjqnrMS_fNGQDZFVGtWSjta974s3Ytjt3ij7WlUSL9PYCVcr0Q4felaISrc9CMt1hoE-9OmVrwz2lTC2HxBTPIXVcCU9wxulHSqlG-QsanLswpH/s1600/DSCN0700.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigC4gfxbN8C9avYHkSO71ZonRAvcsNqBjqnrMS_fNGQDZFVGtWSjta974s3Ytjt3ij7WlUSL9PYCVcr0Q4felaISrc9CMt1hoE-9OmVrwz2lTC2HxBTPIXVcCU9wxulHSqlG-QsanLswpH/s320/DSCN0700.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633122341872799874" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglseo-4Rt_3uVvapzVu7XjaCXN3Gu7Fi84uLdKrzUCbbb1zwjFTPDFC_PxbUAe4XmY_DzhTZDEq__erfPRjTdAVL2KiYpEv6QaEYhPy3oJ8R6i4gaunUjAO9bmJ1BRn4u_z9nnay5vJr8A/s1600/DSCN0697.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglseo-4Rt_3uVvapzVu7XjaCXN3Gu7Fi84uLdKrzUCbbb1zwjFTPDFC_PxbUAe4XmY_DzhTZDEq__erfPRjTdAVL2KiYpEv6QaEYhPy3oJ8R6i4gaunUjAO9bmJ1BRn4u_z9nnay5vJr8A/s320/DSCN0697.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633122338539626130" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZPzyWf8t21V_A832KzWidX_5k4IrTj-z9qp9GDiQh2wVbqYE6LxoGKw28_RvjvOgckk8FMeJ6zyY-dxDqBO4AwPKK2RSurlywXBvxnkoJ2LxBpERU5H7CFl9m3VlbFbz2lHHlO-wT1KA/s1600/DSCN0685.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoZPzyWf8t21V_A832KzWidX_5k4IrTj-z9qp9GDiQh2wVbqYE6LxoGKw28_RvjvOgckk8FMeJ6zyY-dxDqBO4AwPKK2RSurlywXBvxnkoJ2LxBpERU5H7CFl9m3VlbFbz2lHHlO-wT1KA/s320/DSCN0685.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633122334418556834" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjEet6DwK_J-n6DaWD5wSEI-ilWZFRiZo1nLpxilSBOqy8O_TvSphnoenh6mXHPAvL9twm4qcYjEhfRRGvBAT6OEdX0bRvgiPAtfh8u24erpUAtInstPlhBj1zJBTTKMmudsCj1LiHiHR/s1600/DSCN0670.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihjEet6DwK_J-n6DaWD5wSEI-ilWZFRiZo1nLpxilSBOqy8O_TvSphnoenh6mXHPAvL9twm4qcYjEhfRRGvBAT6OEdX0bRvgiPAtfh8u24erpUAtInstPlhBj1zJBTTKMmudsCj1LiHiHR/s320/DSCN0670.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633122328125899666" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqMBp1UQ-cSxl2enf2m6DwfHHK-QIfrKPv9c1YrgQqIzh89yIkJuRk7mit6Me_r47fsuzmOONDzEsXkkwDvEIlims39HbIsguf7bE8X-G0I62ohhQO0ZjX5Koze_uggl1sfkTR_5ZJDC8/s1600/DSCN0653.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqMBp1UQ-cSxl2enf2m6DwfHHK-QIfrKPv9c1YrgQqIzh89yIkJuRk7mit6Me_r47fsuzmOONDzEsXkkwDvEIlims39HbIsguf7bE8X-G0I62ohhQO0ZjX5Koze_uggl1sfkTR_5ZJDC8/s320/DSCN0653.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633122325958184562" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1lf9wn-lIA-RcKiaWLT06IfQuZudqWmCN9xHkVFKRMaZOSd2robC0GCKMKkym2Im6zApwtrWsp_2M6ZhMVrERlleTH9PRTozfG4VBjrvhgSsuGBiKWBb7BDiZTwnKDGFOn3HkZtuUkTif/s1600/IMG_1050.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1lf9wn-lIA-RcKiaWLT06IfQuZudqWmCN9xHkVFKRMaZOSd2robC0GCKMKkym2Im6zApwtrWsp_2M6ZhMVrERlleTH9PRTozfG4VBjrvhgSsuGBiKWBb7BDiZTwnKDGFOn3HkZtuUkTif/s320/IMG_1050.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633124449233073666" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVd7b8Gp0RRtA84EigeSt75jWp-WeuU95XpGA6njVCpHnPbAjAbWumD_xssJeCUBrkq-R7S9w24DYxsTJG7xQCFwmDwPGet0khUFX8iYoohwxy8blsI2zpNEvyNTd5BeIyXZy2-RkC67DO/s1600/IMG_1038.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVd7b8Gp0RRtA84EigeSt75jWp-WeuU95XpGA6njVCpHnPbAjAbWumD_xssJeCUBrkq-R7S9w24DYxsTJG7xQCFwmDwPGet0khUFX8iYoohwxy8blsI2zpNEvyNTd5BeIyXZy2-RkC67DO/s320/IMG_1038.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633124446008823122" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhKkQ1kHe49NLa075vo2IYpv-pim7tNhGCNQFPSCa78OlJFvpudBJfC4JFlsrIxM3f-YU9KvBrHh2SEc6ICJ18Mx6efTimE77ghtyRtkeOrKHnE-T2jFjDh_PetV-XZipgGZ0ropyvt9uR/s1600/IMG_1043.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhKkQ1kHe49NLa075vo2IYpv-pim7tNhGCNQFPSCa78OlJFvpudBJfC4JFlsrIxM3f-YU9KvBrHh2SEc6ICJ18Mx6efTimE77ghtyRtkeOrKHnE-T2jFjDh_PetV-XZipgGZ0ropyvt9uR/s320/IMG_1043.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633124440467122706" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Us_o6d-doPDKmYDCr9TQ2jtFWKQ41PXNJ_G4QjztYhFLmGqfaocVdUDE6Pa490woxWEvRbMfWNteuhqI7_AJZUUtbBnUSi7FWZTiWAzpEYBqgmlKQqKxFJG9CfAwzMfwSgGheM90TtoN/s1600/IMG_1025.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Us_o6d-doPDKmYDCr9TQ2jtFWKQ41PXNJ_G4QjztYhFLmGqfaocVdUDE6Pa490woxWEvRbMfWNteuhqI7_AJZUUtbBnUSi7FWZTiWAzpEYBqgmlKQqKxFJG9CfAwzMfwSgGheM90TtoN/s320/IMG_1025.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633124435465281922" /></a>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-49218296930027122562011-06-27T20:11:00.000-07:002011-06-27T21:26:53.379-07:00Meeting our New Family....Well some of them!This week was a great one! So great that I was too tired to get everything uploaded for a Sunday blog! There are quite a few pics at the bottom of this blog --- what a big week! My Precious Peruvian got to meet her Aunt Steph & Uncle Bubba and cousins J and A... and Aunt Mary & Uncle Jack (probably Mamaw & Papaw) and cousins Janice, Johnathon & K! We ate (Thanks Aunt Mary & Uncle Jack for making all of my faves.... Tomato gravy & Biscuits and Gumbo!) and played together and had a great visit! Little Bit did really well, she was off of her schedule with a house full of folks... and she just went right along with it all! She didn't seem bothered by any of it! She had a blast playing with J & A and went to bed worn out every night! Her cousins showed her how to make the Cozy Coupe go REALLY fast, and just what she needed to cook in her little kitchen! Too funny! And, she has all of them wrapped all around her little finger!<br />She learned all kinds of English words this week, and has learned that she can immitate what everyone says.... sooo "Be careful little mouth what you speak!" has now become the motto at my house! This is great news for her language development! I am so proud of her! And, I am so thankful for God's work in her life! She is making huge strides and doing really well! Everyday is a surprise to me! I think she finally understands that this is home, and this is where we will be. We moved to HER room this week, Mom still sleeps in there with her, but she is in her room..... the first night she didn't sleep as well as she had been, but after that, she has done well! That is a big adjustment too!<br />This coming weekend Grammie comes, YAY!! We are so excited and can't wait to see her again! We will be showing Grammie what all we can do, and it will be a great time of bonding with Grammie, Mama is so excited! <br />Well, our week was full and exciting and I will just let the pictures tell the story... sorry if they are kind of random, it was hard to get them all on here in order! Thank you for your continued prayers and love and support, I am so encouraged and blessed!<br />Blessings!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEosRlr2ctYxS8VoRG50jd93ABqRprobV6_pD3w4TzYKxxJkRlnncgyhdC_aC7r2SzGW6y3f6CU8-qeX-DBO3i7RFd8bOrfdGdMYkXeSQWdf8CVWnQhA_Z86B29_sCocEe0JZGIQFtYG8/s1600/DSCN0630.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEosRlr2ctYxS8VoRG50jd93ABqRprobV6_pD3w4TzYKxxJkRlnncgyhdC_aC7r2SzGW6y3f6CU8-qeX-DBO3i7RFd8bOrfdGdMYkXeSQWdf8CVWnQhA_Z86B29_sCocEe0JZGIQFtYG8/s320/DSCN0630.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623105261724893250" /></a><br />Cousin Johnathon brought his guitar and played it for my Precious Peruvian... we almost had to take him home with us! She LOVED it, and he even let her play --- good thing the strings are still ok! <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUMjbtEcubiK036kM67fHN32WwGZGT0uGcLpe7DBvFLVimnSxE5IgsY3trCpMJzTxaQoppE2afwFwU0ZbxfcDv4ta_eYfnVnEKvpViBGGMohe_CvSju5AqATmtNfbJrG-vNLXz_QuKuAS/s1600/DSCN0618.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRUMjbtEcubiK036kM67fHN32WwGZGT0uGcLpe7DBvFLVimnSxE5IgsY3trCpMJzTxaQoppE2afwFwU0ZbxfcDv4ta_eYfnVnEKvpViBGGMohe_CvSju5AqATmtNfbJrG-vNLXz_QuKuAS/s320/DSCN0618.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623105258217501714" /></a><br />What? You want all three of us to smile at the same time?!? <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3UlYg63VxgrKmjFNYcpwXj9vGjjB9-wuhO4mlMypXDgpbdOD-mWeEvFYk0BrHP-gK1ftKhWbOEKCabT_aCxjk6pzjhPxIvzGssf_Ssi7HEKFolSxS5cgrbGQJ5ek7FjELGFoaI5Kj1g2/s1600/DSCN0612.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3UlYg63VxgrKmjFNYcpwXj9vGjjB9-wuhO4mlMypXDgpbdOD-mWeEvFYk0BrHP-gK1ftKhWbOEKCabT_aCxjk6pzjhPxIvzGssf_Ssi7HEKFolSxS5cgrbGQJ5ek7FjELGFoaI5Kj1g2/s320/DSCN0612.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623105251583799026" /></a><br />Uncle Jack is my new buddy.... got that big guy wrapped around my little finger! Look, I even got to wear his hat!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBUsgQ71G1IYkQJglfoy6uZKgcGQ3PPIEytDyNelgSFZzRPf6vyYFyPdG3PdG31Ttmhl9-IP6wqq2_5f3NywS-OeyMeD3HAjZtanvLsx8KjNZHC66MBMCnuK3wfG9BeWUiA3hWqLtxXfA/s1600/DSCN0601.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBUsgQ71G1IYkQJglfoy6uZKgcGQ3PPIEytDyNelgSFZzRPf6vyYFyPdG3PdG31Ttmhl9-IP6wqq2_5f3NywS-OeyMeD3HAjZtanvLsx8KjNZHC66MBMCnuK3wfG9BeWUiA3hWqLtxXfA/s320/DSCN0601.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623105250699545842" /></a><br />Well, a girl can never learn too early.... make the boys take care of the car!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYoHqzn4y3dfmTuzb_UoO_pWP8ZyU6TD9bRwao5RxsdZNesBWEf1yFQuop54V-RodXXGWeWNf_554F-798yk7WHBLJcaAbMu7tWljol9e81cTrSjgYegy-bbWm8RuD8X24xUyaGMp4Lae/s1600/DSCN0604.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYoHqzn4y3dfmTuzb_UoO_pWP8ZyU6TD9bRwao5RxsdZNesBWEf1yFQuop54V-RodXXGWeWNf_554F-798yk7WHBLJcaAbMu7tWljol9e81cTrSjgYegy-bbWm8RuD8X24xUyaGMp4Lae/s320/DSCN0604.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623105243137530898" /></a><br />"Sub-One in the Navy Loves Me" -- a sweet gift from Uncle Bubba!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7Xy0HJh5btfYqtiKbW0omohRtVsrnmMTU_2scF4GyYynAeQL1oPbi8el0K7PAvRHs63hBfLJPKRfrkn9UlyXkRrA-Om_dc3nz169VnGJYAM5w_qql1vc9s4oImpdDFl1km3sUQDCJANb/s1600/DSCN0638.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW7Xy0HJh5btfYqtiKbW0omohRtVsrnmMTU_2scF4GyYynAeQL1oPbi8el0K7PAvRHs63hBfLJPKRfrkn9UlyXkRrA-Om_dc3nz169VnGJYAM5w_qql1vc9s4oImpdDFl1km3sUQDCJANb/s320/DSCN0638.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623107167973038226" /></a><br />My Precious Peruvian with A & K at Cracker Barrel -- we almost had to take that chair home!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAMyPwF2DEjq4LV3dPXBP2QBgDBGM2KzDXZwtWDPgEl8emBu2DJBLCpd0a7pGbTy7DYF6fNqQJgtyvOwg6sDxhsK5AUeA589LkaFR-1OJfE-CV2vkTm2jEIPr99fIr6OpOvLxrhml7D5b/s1600/DSCN0635.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 299px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGAMyPwF2DEjq4LV3dPXBP2QBgDBGM2KzDXZwtWDPgEl8emBu2DJBLCpd0a7pGbTy7DYF6fNqQJgtyvOwg6sDxhsK5AUeA589LkaFR-1OJfE-CV2vkTm2jEIPr99fIr6OpOvLxrhml7D5b/s320/DSCN0635.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623107153387324114" /></a><br />A picture for Grammie... your kids and awesome grandkids!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFm2vpvIpgBy2HUg0nEtU3114VuTRt9W3K1FCTv7nC4UwSGkojUN1fad422JqMDfXBAL4OantxXcYsQz9D_vGCyYS0GNA_NB1wXn1Mafmly0cX1Zp3DQD4eNtnz7-TpDHEODZJs2Li_Hra/s1600/DSCN0631.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFm2vpvIpgBy2HUg0nEtU3114VuTRt9W3K1FCTv7nC4UwSGkojUN1fad422JqMDfXBAL4OantxXcYsQz9D_vGCyYS0GNA_NB1wXn1Mafmly0cX1Zp3DQD4eNtnz7-TpDHEODZJs2Li_Hra/s320/DSCN0631.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623107146314689266" /></a><br />The Suarez crew...... ya just never know!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDn9zxH70RFkWjJQvfuE1dtO6zwAZZss99HSBE_9K3luPtD-Tq4GF5jTeenbLVZO1gWuLIkiP8ECRd3swir94E-i-aJtr6eF1-dOFP-LS62iB1BFHxlJzpFc5KCkWovp7-UuszE1y-AS5b/s1600/DSCN0639.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDn9zxH70RFkWjJQvfuE1dtO6zwAZZss99HSBE_9K3luPtD-Tq4GF5jTeenbLVZO1gWuLIkiP8ECRd3swir94E-i-aJtr6eF1-dOFP-LS62iB1BFHxlJzpFc5KCkWovp7-UuszE1y-AS5b/s320/DSCN0639.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5623107162083724722" /></a><br />God's promise showed bright and beautiful above my house on Friday this week, it was too pretty not to share!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-33585612772412359262011-06-17T12:16:00.000-07:002011-06-17T13:21:06.466-07:00The BLESSINGFINALLY! I am sitting down to write this blog that has been on my heart for the better part of a month now.... but let me just tell you, God said to me just now, "Sit down and write that blog....NOW!" I don't know why NOW, right this minute, but I have learned to listen to that Voice! The prompting from God actually came from a package I received in the mail today..... I have received so many beautiful gifts, of which I am so incredibly thankful and blessed, but today, I received my child's BLESSING! Let me go back a little bit....<br />About a month ago, I was craving some time with God and something to dig my teeth into and chew on for a bit. (Do you ever do that? Sometimes, you just need something to prompt that growth in your heart that is just dying to spring forth!" So, I went to the Christian bookstore one day and was looking around for something, I didn't even know what I was looking for really... but I thought a book on Christian parenting might be a good place to start. Well, I perused a couple and then saw this one on the end of a row, just as we were about to leave. (My Precious Peruvian doesn't enjoy books quite as much as Mama, YET!) It is called "The Blessing" and it caught my eye b/c of my very own BLESSING, that I had just received. So, I picked it up and perused it a bit, and quickly decided that this must be the book I was supposed to buy that day! Well, as I spent time reading this book, I realized that indeed, God had picked it out for me that day! There are two things that God uses to Bless me primarily.... MUSIC is #1 and books, especially His Word. Well, this book, written by John Trent & Gary Smalley, about 25 years ago, spoke volumes to me! It is all about BLESSING our children just as Isaac did for Jacob. It is this BLESSING that we crave in our lives. We need to hear a blessing from those we love in our daily lives.... it is what makes us who we are, it is what guides us and helps to direct our paths in life. There is a lot more to the book, but this is the basic premise. An example from my own life is this: My Mom alwasy told me that I was going to go to college because she never got to.... well, I didn't really understand all of that when I was young, but as I got old enough to go to college and then graduated with 2 degrees, what exactly that meant for my life..... and what it meant to my Mom to see me fulfill that Blessing she placed on me came to life. She went to work at 3:00 in the morning for a lot of years so that she could somewhat afford to send me to college..... and then she rejoiced with me as I graduated and determined my life's work. (She did hope I would be filthy, stinking rich so that I could buy her a little red Mercedes sports coupe.... but well, that didn't work out! --Sorry Mom!) But, this is an example of a blessing you might give your child.... but as I learned in the book, the BLESSING is much deeper too. There is a blessing for everyone, but sadly some NEVER reeive any blessing at all from their parents, friends, no one! Oh, it is sooo sad to me! But, God is there, ready to give us the blessing that we all need and crave!<br />I was blessed to have blessings on me.... they were not necessarily given like the steps this book provides, but they were there! The book gives 5 elements to the BLESSING: 1. Meaningful touch, 2. A Spoken (and or written) Message, 3. Attaching High Value, 4. Picturing a Special Future and 5. An Active Committment to make the Special Future happen. These are as the book describes the BLESSING we receive from others.... great book, GO READ IT!! But, God also gives us a BLESSING and speaks a BLESSING over us... it is there in His Word, every time we open it up! And, He uses others in our lives to bring about the other 5 elements of the BLESSING, which is why it is so important for us to surround ourselves with outher believers.<br />So, as I was reading this book, I realized something spectacular... well spectacular to me anyway! I had titled this Blog "Becca's Blessing" a long time ago, about a year into my adoption journey b/c I knew that this adoption was a BLESSING from God. I had NO idea how God was going to use it, but I intended it to bring Him all honor and glory! What I realized is that God has spoken His BLESSING over me and my little one through this whole journey! All the while, as I waited and waited, and prayed that my little one would come soon, God spoke Blessings to my soul through prayer, His word and the encouragement of others! So many would say, "that is so incredible, I can't believe you are doing that"... "you are so brave, generous, etc...." (I don't really deserve any of that, but God used it for encouragement!) Then, while I was in Peru, so many Peruvians spoke words of BLESSING over me and my child... with things like "She (My Precious Peruvian) is so lucky!" "You have such a good heart, she is going to do great with you!", etc. Wow! The words were like "streams in the desert" to my ears. They washed over me and renewed my spirit! Then, when I arrived home, there have been SOOOOOO MANY words of encouragement and blessing for both of us! So many kind and generous deeds that have BLESSED us and so many who have committed to pray for us and to support us in so many different ways! ALL of this is God's BLESSING that He has given me! WOW!!! I am speechless (well, apparently not according to this blog's length!) but seriously, speechless that God has chosen to BLESS me! In the Old Testament times, the BLESSING was reserved for only ONE son.... thank the good LORD that because of Christ's blood, the BLESSING is for everyone!<br />Well, as I began processing all of this realization of God's BLESSING being poured out over me, I began to realize that I needed to make sure that I was blessing others. I pray daily that I can do that! And, being a teacher, I believe I have had tons of opportunites to BLESS young people, sometimes I did and sometimes, I have failed..... oh may God remind me of that every day that I walk into the classroom that I have exactly ONE class period with each student to gvie them the BLESSING that some will NEVER receive! I might be the only person even attempting to BLESS them! May I NEVER forget that! BUT NOW, I have the life that I am to pour every ounce of BLESSING God gives me the strength to give, into. My Precious Peruvian. God has given me a life to BLESS and to commit to fulfilling her BLESSING! With this responsiblity heavy on my heart, I began praying that God will give me the BLESSING that I am to pour and pray over her.... and as always HE provides! That leads me to TODAY!<br />In the mail today, I received the most wonderul present for my Precious Peruvian from a man and woman who poured BLESSINGS into my family. Uncle Jimmy worked with my Dad and for a time was like a Father to my Dad who lost his own Father way too young. Then, as we went to Sunday school and church with Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Lurleen, they spoke BLESSINGS over my brother and I and my sweet Mom too! Well, several years ago, my Grandfather passed away and we asked Uncle Jimmy to do his funeral service. And, God had laid it on my heart to sing... now I LOVE to sing, sing in the choir no problem, but have always been a nervous WRECK about singing solos. But, God laid it on my heart that He had given me this voice to sing with, and that my family needed to know He had given me this gift.... and it was, for me, a gift for my Grandfather. Well, I was a nervous WRECK that day, but Incle Jimmy prayed over me, and spoke words of BLESSING over me that day! It was also during these few days in my hometown that I got to share with Uncle Jimmy that I was adopting a little girl from Peru. I didn't know who she was yet, but that God had it all worked out already. Uncle Jimmy again prayed for me, and spoke a BLESSING over me and told me that he would continue to pray..... OK--- so today's gift was another BLESSING from Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Lurleen! It is a song (again, the thing that speaks MOST to me and my child --- tell me God didn't have that planned!!!) and it is called "I BLESS YOU!" (Now, it is important to note here.... Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Lurleen have NO idea about any of the "Blessing" messages I have been receiving from God! --- Oh my!!! How cool is that!!! In fact, I am going to have to print this blog post and mail it to them, so that they can know, just how they have BLESSED us!) But, this song, as I read it's words, I realized is the BLESSING that I want to pray over and our into my child! I don't know the writer of this song or anything like that, but I will tell you, it is NO accident that however many years ago (and I think it was a lot!) God knew I would be looking for these very words to ecpress the BLESSING that awaited in my heart for my child! I am so overwhelmed with emotion, I don't even know how to put it on paper!! WOW! WOW! WOW! is all I can keep coming up with!! Here are the words to the song --- and now my child's BLESSING --- "I Bless You!"<br /><br />I bless you with joy and peace and love that won't let go<br />I bless you with grace and faith and fire in your soul.<br />I bless you with dreams and visions, most men don't know of.<br />I bless you with deeper knowledge of our Father's love!<br /><br />I bless you with joy and laughter.<br />I bless you with a steadfast faith.<br />I bless you with the hopes and the dreams that your heart goes after,<br />I bless you with Amazing Grace.<br /><br />I bless you with stregth and power, grace through any trial.<br />I bless you with wisdom and with comfort in your smile.<br />I bless you with great adventures, journeys yet unknown.<br />I bless you with a heart gone wild beacuse you are His own!<br /><br />I bless you with joy and laughter<br />I bless you with a steadfast faith.<br />I bless you with the hopes and the dreams that your heart goes after.<br />I bless you with Amazing Grace.<br /><br />I bless you with the heart of a warrior, grace to stand and fight.<br />I bless you with brother (and sisters) who will stand right by your side.<br />I bless you with courage till the battles have been won.<br />I bless you with the Faith to hear your Father say... "Well Done!"<br /><br />Wow! Every word in my heart, already put to music a very LONG time ago... just for me to hear TODAY, and for me to share with my Little One all through life's way! God just spoke words of BLESSING over my sweet one and me too! I don't know if Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Lurleen have read this book I spoke of or not, but this BLESSING they have given me today tells me they learned this lesson a VERY, VERY long time ago! They told me in their card that they used to sing it to their girls..... oh the beauty of the BLESSING! Who are you going to BLESS today?!?! God has someone for each of us to BLESS, and if we listen closely, we just might hear God singing His BLESSING for each one of us too! Who knew the word BLESSING would come to mean so much to me when I picked it for a title for this blog? Thank you, each one for BLESSING me and I pray that I will take each opportunity God gives me to BLESS others! Will you do the same?<br />BLESSINGS!!!<br />BeccaRebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-75653286265631958632011-06-12T21:20:00.000-07:002011-06-12T21:57:04.419-07:00A Few Tough Days!It has been a tough week! There I said it! Mama is tired! Oh, but how My God supplies ALL of my needs! And, this too shall pass! This week was tough because Little Bit wasn't feeling well! The hard part was that Little Bit couldn't tell me she wasn't feeling well! We made an unexpected trip to the pediatrician's office on Thursday and are thankfully on the road to feeling better really soon! And, oh how I hope so! It is so hard to see your child in obvious discomfort and pain! I didn't know how hard it could be, but I have seen it this week! We have cried together! But, she is doing better now and will hopefully be improving a lot more really soon! On top of that, Mama had to have round 2 of steroids for the allergic reaction to sunscreen and now the dog is having allergy problems because she likes to eat EVERYTHING my Precious Peruvian allows to fall on the floor! So, tomorrow, the doggie gets to go to the doctor too! And, thankfully, it looks like round 2 of the steroids worked for Mama this time! <br /><br />We did have some fun this week though! On Tuesday we went to our frist music class with our friend M. at Gymboree! And, on Wednesday we went to art class there! My Precious Peruvian loves some music and art and is quickly learning how to do new things! On Monday we had lunch with Tia Gia, then our speech therapy evaluation and Little Bit did very well, and turns out she is exactly where we thought she was. Thank you for those prayers. We will set an action plan this week. We have learned to ask for some things this week! What an answer to prayer! We have learned to ask "Again" when we want to hear something again.... we have listened to Mickey's Countdown at least a million times this week.... but when asked for it, she gets it! This week, if she asks for it, she gets it! We'll work on reversing that later on! :-) But for now, it is good that she is beginning to ask for things! She asked me for help for the first time this week and asked for more water and several other things too! We are also working on saying when we don't want something... this has been a little bit harder battle! We will continue working on though little bit by little bit! I am just so excited for the strides she has made this week in spite of not feeling well!<br /><br />Please continue to pray for us! This week has been a tough one! Mama is tired, please pray for God to give me more stength and wisdom and a limitless supply of grace! Please also continue to pray for our attachment and bonding! Little bit is becoming more and more secure in her surroundings and this is a great sign that she is attaching! Thank you for those continued prayers for that and resiliency! While in Peru, when she was not feeling good, she was very shut down.... this week in spite of not feeling well, she was still very open to me and sought out comfort from me! She didn't even give the pediatrician a frowny face this time! She didn't like it one bit and fought still, but when all was said and done, she said Bye, Bye and we went on with our day! So, thank you for those prayers of resiliency, AGAIN! <br /><br />Here are a few pics from our week at home(apparently, I talk on the phone a LOT!) and Gymboree, thanks Tia Alison for taking pics! And, thanks to Miss Ena & our friend E. for the awesome Minnie Mouse sun glasses.... we LOVE them!!!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7aXyvd6ZDSU6q0zXfcL5XLaMWfJ6fUhYqBlgOv7IfbWGDadFbzbIwjmjrQxEZk8jQbcnajtFrGuQuw-bpFh6HUAgzGyTFHI4h-WPPPhyJcwqaTV7BjflaizTyMUPO4pnfxWrKSocptHL/s1600/249686_10150186457101887_500651886_7263649_7239909_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7aXyvd6ZDSU6q0zXfcL5XLaMWfJ6fUhYqBlgOv7IfbWGDadFbzbIwjmjrQxEZk8jQbcnajtFrGuQuw-bpFh6HUAgzGyTFHI4h-WPPPhyJcwqaTV7BjflaizTyMUPO4pnfxWrKSocptHL/s320/249686_10150186457101887_500651886_7263649_7239909_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617560969914935874" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLAOqpvPSHxp9QLTOauC4xDNpMPTdbA2KN9llH_lN-u3el6h4Sft3HnKsC9_yHzvU7sIG-QVFRffieQ-vaTXwMQjwGoluIcjdixek44g7xVg5qi2DA_uJbGJ1hk8uG0nI-mtDKlZv998YG/s1600/254535_10150186457306887_500651886_7263653_7841851_n.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLAOqpvPSHxp9QLTOauC4xDNpMPTdbA2KN9llH_lN-u3el6h4Sft3HnKsC9_yHzvU7sIG-QVFRffieQ-vaTXwMQjwGoluIcjdixek44g7xVg5qi2DA_uJbGJ1hk8uG0nI-mtDKlZv998YG/s320/254535_10150186457306887_500651886_7263653_7841851_n.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617560961647120962" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9PmZK3l_-GwfucyEfKsfAyr7FACfomQ-dDQCm0x6W6_2F1F1zoMV62Pdm0POCovfhAYQlyClxv2Sr2wj3XUozJwcWZ2zkIw72FFIFjc0ei0bwX7Ur4DyfgY37nBSPJDqW-ecREJZBPOt/s1600/DSC00108.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib9PmZK3l_-GwfucyEfKsfAyr7FACfomQ-dDQCm0x6W6_2F1F1zoMV62Pdm0POCovfhAYQlyClxv2Sr2wj3XUozJwcWZ2zkIw72FFIFjc0ei0bwX7Ur4DyfgY37nBSPJDqW-ecREJZBPOt/s320/DSC00108.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617560951081586146" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhug8VT01CYODpFXZnFGZUBnwmKP5sbAgMVGiIFsGWswmbGNOJ6r-QdXSEb55rhyphenhyphenzy1Sfzpc4Bdb3ZjmfLAIpQcgLDC98Dsa2H76z_m4O8r8T-kV7IlKyv_6vwjNOgzXhlC5hWBLGBR60KK/s1600/DSCN0574.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhug8VT01CYODpFXZnFGZUBnwmKP5sbAgMVGiIFsGWswmbGNOJ6r-QdXSEb55rhyphenhyphenzy1Sfzpc4Bdb3ZjmfLAIpQcgLDC98Dsa2H76z_m4O8r8T-kV7IlKyv_6vwjNOgzXhlC5hWBLGBR60KK/s320/DSCN0574.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617560950340558370" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqs372x7mdaHZyys9Q0GdnVQcJUu50ef623XK2LrvEmBgVKcTPdPHiY9ovkLztKqJ1wWBneawRZJWn2IS7W9cBcSQr3OM68rzQ6Idaxv8wuJVHMaIhfWRHFgohLArWDH4PFZ4W-eOwT-5/s1600/DSCN0584.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqs372x7mdaHZyys9Q0GdnVQcJUu50ef623XK2LrvEmBgVKcTPdPHiY9ovkLztKqJ1wWBneawRZJWn2IS7W9cBcSQr3OM68rzQ6Idaxv8wuJVHMaIhfWRHFgohLArWDH4PFZ4W-eOwT-5/s320/DSCN0584.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5617560945505299762" /></a>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-1694285941874669182011-06-05T19:27:00.000-07:002011-06-05T20:23:07.394-07:00Remembering...Wow! Today is the 2nd Month Anniversary of our sweet Blessing Day! Oh my goodness, I can hardly believe it myself! Additionally, this past week, we celebrated the 1 month home mark.... and whew! What a busy week it has been! But, this week, I have stepped back to remember where my Precious Peruvian was two months ago today, she is definitely NOT the same child!! Oh My goodness, if I could only put into words all of the changes and strides she has made, in spite of insurmounting changes and moving to a new country, leaving the only 6 people she had ever known, moving to a place where everyone (it seems) speaks English to her, and then all of the newness of what is around her.... Oh my! I am overshelmed!! Seriously, My Precious Peruvian is doing incredibly well! I can hardly believe it myself! I won't say we haven't been working hard on some things, because we have, however, she just is not the same child scared of anyone new to her, she isn't the same child that lived in a shell, she is AMAZING! I need to find some way to put into words how well she is doing so that I can remember it, but it is almost impossible to do so! If I have ever seen a complete 180 degree turn, she is it! <br />We met with the International Adoption Clinic again this week, and again, thank you for those prayers! It was a much better visit! Thank you God! But, no one had to examine her! She did see a developmental specialist, who put her developmental progress into a good clear picture for me. The other HUGE praise is that she does Diagnostic testing for one of the things that was said might be an issue for my Precious Peruvian, and this Developmental Specialist said... "No Way!" She wouldn't give my child that diagnosis for nothing..... she said, there is "No way she could have any part of it!" What an amazing answer to prayer! I know, you are wondering what in the world I am talking about, but for my Precious One's privacy, I am going to not put that on the blog... you can ask me and I will be glad to tell you just how BIG our God is!! But, all praises be to Him for this great answer to prayer! My Little One is still a good bit behind where she "should be", but with some more hard work and love and dedication, I am sure she will continue making strides!<br />We have also had a great week with some new friends! We went to the zoo with our friend E. last weekend, and on Monday we went to play in M's pool! The awesome Parker family had us over for dinner, and boy was it yummy!! Then M. and my Precious Peruvian played this week at Gymboree! Gymboree has an awesome Mom & Me program during the summer months and we are LOVING it! We get to go play, and this week we will start a music and art class! The best part is, Little Bit gets to try out lots of new things in a safe and fun environment where she won't get hurt! She is learning to climb a ladder, jump, etc. I was reminded this week as she was crawling through a tunnel, which they did have at her orphanage, that it was how we met each other for the first time! Oh what joy it was to see her coming through with a smile on her face as if it were the easiest thing she had ever done! She was really afraid to do it, and had to be coaxed through the tunnel on the day that I met her... not this day! So amazing!<br />So, yes, this is our busy but amazing week! She is doing great! The attachment is coming along very well, and then there are some days, like today, that we just stay close to home! However, we did go to church today! Again, she did well in her SS class, but Mama drug her to big church to hear our prospective pastor preach... and she did great then too! She was even trying to sing "Mighty to Save" with Mama, and a couple of other songs too! So cute! So amazing how she just new "God was in this place!" Church is one of the places I don't have to talk her into getting out of her carseat, she jumps right out and is ready to go! Oh, thank you Lord!! I am sure not every Sunday will work out so well, but God has been so good and so gracious!<br />Thank you for your continued prayers! This week, we start with Speech Therapy evaluation, as this is her biggest and most challenging delay! She is "talking" a lot, a whole lot more than she did when I first met her, but we aren't there yet with words! She struggles with expressing her needs, and this is partly because when an orphan has a need and expresses it, said need, may or may not get answered.... so a lot of orphans just stop saying what they need. So Sad! This is the hardest part for me as a Mama, I don't know what to do for her sometimes! I worry she gets enough to drink or eat or whatever b/c she doesn't know how to ask for it! So, as you continue to pray for our attachment and bonding, and resiliency for Little Bit, would you please add this to your prayers, prayers for her to learn to express her needs! (This is dangerous too though! In a few months, I might be asking for you to pray she stops talking! :-)) But, in all truthfulness, this is an area of great struggle for her... she wants to, she just can't quite make the words come yet... so thank you for your prayers here! <br />And, as always, I am so incredibly GRATEFUL for your thoughts and prayers! I feel so incredibly BLESSED to be able to share our journey with others! I was also reminded this week of how short this life is! A colleage at work lost his battle with cancer last weekend, please pray for his family during this diffiuclt time, and pray that we will all celebrate life because God is the Giver and He is so full of LOVE and compassion for each one of us! Below are some pics from our week! <br />Blessings!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjref-pUNzreBeDOaeCvBfoGxqC4_yB7K8l1qs4n61Xw-iKO22Z1XFlNhI1aI5-v5YQ291Cr-3wnaq5SZR1oTZdJichaQtJQhPwo4Yo_rQBVpW4XXR8bo76CAAqFCfbu8P9zUWsfqK8qfmh/s1600/DSCN0124.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjref-pUNzreBeDOaeCvBfoGxqC4_yB7K8l1qs4n61Xw-iKO22Z1XFlNhI1aI5-v5YQ291Cr-3wnaq5SZR1oTZdJichaQtJQhPwo4Yo_rQBVpW4XXR8bo76CAAqFCfbu8P9zUWsfqK8qfmh/s320/DSCN0124.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614941918470154242" /></a><br />Our first meeting 2 months ago.... Now just look at her! All thanks be to God!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5waxiVK7AY2FmdlYfglzP9e0-tg-r4ARLt-VAiBikF108dHkoO3TaIaIdmdqIcYNH91PNshb6sj-LqqnMxXGlVFwI3BPfBngm_O69nn0xy-C1L7cLW5j0CNcf9do5CfJjDd8K61fcsW0h/s1600/DSCN0566.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5waxiVK7AY2FmdlYfglzP9e0-tg-r4ARLt-VAiBikF108dHkoO3TaIaIdmdqIcYNH91PNshb6sj-LqqnMxXGlVFwI3BPfBngm_O69nn0xy-C1L7cLW5j0CNcf9do5CfJjDd8K61fcsW0h/s320/DSCN0566.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614938961743947938" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2yb3W_9JiEbj1TV3H-HkQW8fOF5sBBwPyedC_Q02p7voVOeUs2nT9bNBFgYxOBNIxWILPTXQb7yxWYBAX0jEoUoFfEqY1S8c6AFLT8bD3LuzPlRRHV8SvrKJl12sHBnygSSNmfshUq03/s1600/DSCN0564.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR2yb3W_9JiEbj1TV3H-HkQW8fOF5sBBwPyedC_Q02p7voVOeUs2nT9bNBFgYxOBNIxWILPTXQb7yxWYBAX0jEoUoFfEqY1S8c6AFLT8bD3LuzPlRRHV8SvrKJl12sHBnygSSNmfshUq03/s320/DSCN0564.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614938955798574162" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpTqnn7fs6sR5Gaksj_LN_OHXUOh7Y4kOUnfYBbtB7zWUV6aMp3WTjjn_vA6aAmjBmku-U8T7nE2OihRcplB3Zpdc-iqivNwZU_toNSnkmSUEk7VANNU6TQJmrceI9W7Pn5KfH8rGTEEMP/s1600/M+%2526+P+in+pool.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpTqnn7fs6sR5Gaksj_LN_OHXUOh7Y4kOUnfYBbtB7zWUV6aMp3WTjjn_vA6aAmjBmku-U8T7nE2OihRcplB3Zpdc-iqivNwZU_toNSnkmSUEk7VANNU6TQJmrceI9W7Pn5KfH8rGTEEMP/s320/M+%2526+P+in+pool.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614938954425516290" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeh6W_0k1tno-wUwQgUVLA2wj4KBsUCoqVnEh_-A3JIOnwlWyiA5tEi-H9xF0e3qu2AfKIQ7EfSKorjcExhS7m1c6lJ88_3Bm69Ehz3udyCBLAAXRIN8H_ilJgi-6ohb-ExXjhu85pEAiv/s1600/Maggie+%2526+Pili+dinner.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeh6W_0k1tno-wUwQgUVLA2wj4KBsUCoqVnEh_-A3JIOnwlWyiA5tEi-H9xF0e3qu2AfKIQ7EfSKorjcExhS7m1c6lJ88_3Bm69Ehz3udyCBLAAXRIN8H_ilJgi-6ohb-ExXjhu85pEAiv/s320/Maggie+%2526+Pili+dinner.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5614938949932199218" /></a>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-30525773694474074122011-05-29T19:15:00.000-07:002011-05-29T21:17:54.698-07:00Movin' Along!Movin' Along! That is what we are doing! It has been a good week! A little more testing a little more grieving, but significantly better than last week! I think she is finally getting a sense of this is home! And, Mamá is getting a little better at this "Mommy thing"! I have discovered that being a Mom requires a lot of planning and there is no room for procrastination! Uh-Oh! Mamá WAS the Queen of procrastination! Notice, I said WAS! I am learning.... although I am also learning that if the dishes don't get washed, it is ok, life does move on! Thankfully, I have been able to keep up with that and most of the laundry! :-) Honestly, things are going really well! Mom got to go to the Chiopractor and get her hair cut! And, Little Bit even let Miss Melissa cut her bangs! Yay!! Now I can see those beautiful brown eyes!! There are moments, but that is all they are, moments! And, because of the "Mommy Grace" that God gives all Moms, I don't even remember some of them! But, my Precious Peruvian is learning all kinds of knew things! She is learning more and more English words, and even saying a few spontaneously here and there, which she had just started doing in Spanish 3 months ago..... AMAZING! She has learned Stand-Up, Sit Down, Come on, and she is using more signs like "help" and "more please", etc.. Above all, she has learned how to make Mickey Mouse's Clubhouse appear by saying "Miska Mouska, Mickey Mouse!" She just stated saying this spontaneously today and I wasn't all together sure what she said at first, and then I realized what it was! YES, WE LOVE MICKKEY & MINNIE at our house! (Below is a picture of her with her "Ra-Ra" (AKA Minnie Mouse) while she watches Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) She has also learned to make the Princess Cozy Coupe go forward and backwards! I think backwards is her favorite still though! Then yesterday we went to the Zoo! This wasn't her first trip to a zoo, but with Mamá it was! We went with our neighbors and she and my neighbor's little girl had a great time! Unfortunately, the sun drains Mamá and my Precious Peruvian too, so we'll have to limit our trips to early morning hours and be ok with not seeing everything at one time! Next time we go, we are going to see the llama at the petting zoo.... I think she'll like that! :-) We are also getting ready to start some fun summer classes, Play and learn, Music and Art.... and the best part is Mamá gets to play too! I am really excited about these classes because they are a great opportunity for more bonding and for her to play with and see other little ones! It is going to be fun! <br /><OBJECT id=BLOG_video-c5b9af374fa8b345 class=BLOG_video_class width=320 height=266 contentId="c5b9af374fa8b345"></OBJECT><br />Another big moment for my Precious Peruvian this week was Sunday School! We have been going to her room for three weeks now. The first was just a visit, but last week we went and stayed the whole time and again today we went and stayed the whole time! But, the best part was, I told her we were going to her class room and when we rounded the corner and went inside and she realized where she was, she did a little happy dance and started "talking".... it was soooo cute! She was so excited! And, this week she played a lot more independently (without Mamá). She still came to check in every once in a while, but I was able to just sit in a chair and watch her play, and she did great with the other kids in the room! Oh! What a happy day! We are still a few weeks away from leaving her completely, but she is progressing greatly there! And, I am so thankful to all the wonderful people in the children's department at my church for making her feel at home!<br />Well, I wouldn't be being honest if I didn't say there were some difficult days... there have been! But, this week, the difficult days have turned into difficult moments! It is such a good things that she tests Mamá, but we are learning a little bit about the word WAIT and obedience. It is difficult for any 3 year old to understand the word WAIT, so no big surprise here. Obedience, this is more part of the testing..... and she is a VERY obedient child 95% of the time, so NO complaints here! But, we have had a few instances where we are learning that we don't always get what we want, when we want it, OUCH! A HUGE lesson for Mamá too! Funny, how God teaches us the same thing at the same time! Anyhow, we have both learned this week, and I was able to tell her and teach her that when she is obedient she can get "MOST" of what she wants. She will always get ALL that she needs though, even if she doesn't WANT it (just as we always get what we need from God!) And, as I was telling her this I was reminded of God's promise to us "If you will obey ME, I will BLESS you and if your disobey ME I will punish you." Now mind you, I am soooo glad that God is God and that I am NOT! This world would be a messed up place, but the lesson was the same for both of us again -- and neat how God uses spiritual principles in everyday life! And, it was a reminder of the blog that I haven't written yet... "The Blessing!" In an effort to keep this blog from being an epistle, I am going to save that for another time... still coming, I promise --- but there is only so much a person can read at one time!<br />I will say this, I am BLESSED beyond measure... EVEN when I don't deserve it! I have felt satan testing me this week, and I am so thankful that God is full of grace and forgiveness and that each morning is fresh and anew and loaded with opportunites to bring Him honor and glory! I hope that my life does that! But, I know that there are times when I don't bring Him honor and glory and I pray that He will continue to give me the strength I need for these times! The best part is... I KNOW He WILL! <br /><br />Thank you for your continued prayers for strength, wisdom and grace for me and continued attachment and resiliency for my Precious Peruvian! She is doing very well in both these areas and I know that it is ONLY because of God and the prayers you all have so generously offered up that she has done so well! PLEASE keep them coming! PLEASE also pray as we go back to the Doctor this week for another 3 hour appointment, thankfully this time we won't have to take any blood, but there might be more needles and she will see the pediatrician for a little bit, so we need lots of prayers! And, many blessings to all of you for this week, Memorial Day, a chance for us to celebrate our troops, veterans and those who gave so much to protect our freedoms, and the first week of SUMMER!! Oh! I want this calendar to slow down for a few more months, so that I can savor EVERY day as a "Stay-at-home Mom"! These days will pass by soon enough, but I LOVE being home with her and having this time with her! So, Yay for summer, but please don't pass by too fast!<br />Blessings!<br /><br />Also a few pics from the zoo, and showing off her sweet Sunday dress.... this weeks Sunday dress that is! :-) She has so many beautiful ones thanks to the generosity of so many! Again, thank you!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_P-yl_lOr5mxF0dx-CPKpJRjBvgBbtIykqQ47EYgebwvNjZLnc8TPUdX6C_BM9HtUZATiOVqV3yLWF6cMeqOgbfMN-ja6LbMT0v-RN4CfUg73Yb2f74rKQ7QTZsGOFlLgoxh_oYW3Os4-/s1600/DSCN0541.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_P-yl_lOr5mxF0dx-CPKpJRjBvgBbtIykqQ47EYgebwvNjZLnc8TPUdX6C_BM9HtUZATiOVqV3yLWF6cMeqOgbfMN-ja6LbMT0v-RN4CfUg73Yb2f74rKQ7QTZsGOFlLgoxh_oYW3Os4-/s320/DSCN0541.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612340846590191698" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHYRFYkLzoseFRl3ZIDqv23E579fDwC6YPV8DYCIENxmfHjxKtN2lPXt_MV9AMZyxE0wPTMcXUzvpsTMs73olrZ4owOXSz_k2gPqatLUB_WlKtPwNjxDY7u8BAq_IOZ74OAFeZPqBOM8P7/s1600/DSCN0544.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHYRFYkLzoseFRl3ZIDqv23E579fDwC6YPV8DYCIENxmfHjxKtN2lPXt_MV9AMZyxE0wPTMcXUzvpsTMs73olrZ4owOXSz_k2gPqatLUB_WlKtPwNjxDY7u8BAq_IOZ74OAFeZPqBOM8P7/s320/DSCN0544.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612340841907464498" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkW3pX9-EV7nQxHYU0YnjJrek-M0Upk-i_ZQWEiNt0i7-yx13q_Qw3qxE2fzVXg4NVFUTtP99kmxY0LzMDu8Kl2Sx5Ee1c2PbEf33ui5cF1loPs3aCAO9tUyZ2_5rC25-rQQfMZFcKJT3N/s1600/DSCN0545.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkW3pX9-EV7nQxHYU0YnjJrek-M0Upk-i_ZQWEiNt0i7-yx13q_Qw3qxE2fzVXg4NVFUTtP99kmxY0LzMDu8Kl2Sx5Ee1c2PbEf33ui5cF1loPs3aCAO9tUyZ2_5rC25-rQQfMZFcKJT3N/s320/DSCN0545.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612340836349924834" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5CKJk8QLmNn9VlBObBnJ6xcFI5asXAzFh8Aqphdb16XK4bd-ki5NqsKO2f4nWbdPmM47ZtoeWmgJQkUHPKxH9hzu-ePpuqcwhBqnUlCN60W9p4nASTJSpjQaarvEiqHpfD_dqC0LPoYe/s1600/DSCN0551.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5CKJk8QLmNn9VlBObBnJ6xcFI5asXAzFh8Aqphdb16XK4bd-ki5NqsKO2f4nWbdPmM47ZtoeWmgJQkUHPKxH9hzu-ePpuqcwhBqnUlCN60W9p4nASTJSpjQaarvEiqHpfD_dqC0LPoYe/s320/DSCN0551.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612340833609836578" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRwlUPPmci0Bg13vfU2f58t-bMEpvx_AfMb_NgNmkgwrjC0RynYGm8Y59pKfK4DPrJODylqIloPsI9Eb6SOkeakOXPJYGezfWYbP1DrYeXFewRxvXJZ4ecqQMn_GuMYbRu78j_dANnrtEB/s1600/DSCN0559.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRwlUPPmci0Bg13vfU2f58t-bMEpvx_AfMb_NgNmkgwrjC0RynYGm8Y59pKfK4DPrJODylqIloPsI9Eb6SOkeakOXPJYGezfWYbP1DrYeXFewRxvXJZ4ecqQMn_GuMYbRu78j_dANnrtEB/s320/DSCN0559.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5612340826616312082" /></a>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-85009080929767516942011-05-22T19:00:00.000-07:002011-05-22T19:18:22.915-07:00Quick Update!Wow! What a busy but great week this one has been! Monday we started Music therapy and my Precious One LOVED it! She was completely enamored with the guitar that the therapist had and she even got to touch it and strum it..... she would have done anything for one more song! She did great though in her evaluation, and tomorrow we start working on some different areas for her! She has already picked up some English words, and doing several things she wasn't doing a week ago! Bravo! She has also learned that all things that fall on the floor go to Mia..... in fact when she dropped a Cheerio the other day, she called for Mia to come get it! Too funny! We are doing great and while Mamá wasn't sure she was going to make it past Wednesday, God sent in reinforcements! Friends who said, Hey! Let's go to the park and dinner! So, Thursday started looking better! My Precious Peruvian is doing great! In fact, she is doing so well in the attachment area that she has started testing the waters! (This is a good thing, it means that she is trusting me enough to test me) We are finally on a schedule, well mostly! Last week she got up at 5:30 4 mornings in a row... so Mamá finally decides she needs to get with the 5:30am program, went to bed really early Wednesday night..... and wouldn't you know it?!? Little Bit slept until 8:00 the next morning! That is ok! I think we both needed the sleep that night! This week was spent trying to work out insurance and chasing others' mistakes! Oh, I had to give a LOT of grace this week to others, and I was struggling! It seems that the Lord had me on a paper chase this week.... not sure why, but my patience sure was tested! But, even though I was frustrated, God gave me the strength to move on through! I don't understand it, but I guess sometimes challenges are put in our path to keep us depending on Him for our strength! I realized real quick this week, that I can't do everything on my own, I have to depend on Him! This weekend we got to enjoy a birthday party, dinner with friends and today we got to go to Church again! Today we went to her Sunday School class and she loved it! Mamá stayed the whole time and then waited to see how long she would stay after the Sunday School hour. We stayed all the way through church too, of course in her class! She did fantastic! And, this evening I said we are going back to church to hear some music (Our children's choir did a great job with their musical!) and she was ready to go! Thank you Lord that my sweet one loves Your house, please may this always be so!! Please continue to pray for my Precious Peruvian and me as we journey together!Thank you for your continued prayers!! I have some more blogging to do, some things that God is laying on my heart, but no more time tonight! Hopefully tomorrow I will get to write about what is on my heart... it is "The Blessing"!<br />Blessings!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-48505038324925213932011-05-15T19:09:00.000-07:002011-05-15T21:29:30.865-07:00Our First Week HomeWow! What a CRAZY busy week! Monday was kind of spent recovering from our trip still. Tuesday, we went for a visit to Lifeline to meet all of those who prayed for us and helped Mamá get this precious one home! It was a fun visit! Then Wednesday was a BIG day! We had a retirement reception for someone in my department at school, so we made a quick appearance. She was a little tentative, but overall did really well! But, then we had to go to the International Adoption Clinic for her evaluation #1 there. I am so blessed to have this service in my community! The Doctors there are FABULOUS and they all understand Internationally Adopted children and the issues (healthwise and otherwise) that they come with because they all have Internationally adopted children of their own! And, boy is this Mama glad that they understand b/c my child sees a stethescope and completely flips out! We had a very, very, very difficult 31/2 hour visit there, but that is behind us now! We will work on this going to the Dr. thing... it is tough for her, really tough! And, so far "Elmo" and his video about going tot he Dr. hasn't helped us, NADA! I had been seeing an increased lack of sleep in her, and the pediatrician was able to help with that, so that we could get on a more normal schedule.... let's hope so! But, she is doing much better sleepwise! Well, poor thing, Thursday was still a rough day for her.... she was overly exhausted from the past two weeks of not sleeping well, and then traumatized from the Dr's visit.... so we had a total of 7 meltdowns on Thursday..... 5 within 2 hours. Well, the thing is, I just can't blame her! I might be having meltdowns too if my world just got dumped upside down and I couldn't do anything about it! So, I pray for more grace, so that I can give it to her.... and leave a little for me! :-) Thank God, He has plenty of that to go around!<br /> But, the good news is that the the weekend was a lot better! We are finally getting the sleep we need and she did great all weekend! Friday we had lunch with our friend Deanne, then Saturday morning a birthday party (she got to meet lots of internationally adopted children there) where she got to ride a carousel for the very first time! At first she wasn't so sure, but then when it got moving, she loved it... and asked for more when it stopped! She had a death grip on Mamá the whole time, but loved it none the less! Then we had Tia Valeria & Tio Rob and her new friend over for dinner.... she and her new friend played pretty well together and they had fun! It was good for Mamá too!! Today we went to SS school and she sat like a perfect little Angel through the whole SS hour! "Lord, can I PLEASE keep that FOREVER?" What an amazing gift it was to me to be able to go to church today! I have missed my church and my SS group soooooo much over the last 6 weeks! It was a gift to all of us to have this sweet answered prayer sitting in class with us this morning! There are so many who have prayed for her and me in the last 2 years and 8 months..... and it brought joy to all of us to see His perfect gift with us today! Then we went to what will be her SS class and she seemed to like it pretty good! She was stuck to Mamá like glue, but eventually started warming up! Hopefully, in a month or so, she'll be comfortable enough to stay there. Then, nap time (she took a good long one!) and then off to the park to play! Oh, and she remembered it very well from last week! She went looking for all her favorite parts of the park! She had a good time! We got to meet some more of Mama's friends who were great "big brothers" to her..... and they brought her Papa Lay..... a HUGE box of them!!! She had a small meltdown b/c she was mad at Mamá for taking her off the playground to find some other adventures....Ooops, sorry little one! <br /> The best news is that she is bonding! There are things that we don't even think about that show bonding, like wrapping her legs around my waist when I carry her, looking for me when I leave her presence, asking for me..... ALL of these things she is doing this week! She even wraps her little arms around my neck and lays her head on my shoulder! Oh! What an answer to prayer! Please continue to pray, while giving thanks to God, for her attachment! Learning to attach is a daily process! It also comes with a little bit more testing. Now, her testing so far as been really mild, but she has started testing the waters a little bit.... so please pray that I will continue to give her grace and gentleness even when I have to discipline her a little bit. Thankfully, she isn't difficult to discipline. I can say something to her, even mildly, and it hurts her feelings...... so she corrects pretty easily! She is a gentle and sweet soul (who can fight like the Karate Kid --- just ask the pediatrician and nurse who took her blood!)! But, please continue to pray for wisdom, strength, courage, and grace as we continue to navigate into her new BIG world! Also, PLEASE continue to pray for the resiliency that my little one needs during all of these adjustments!! Thank you for your continued prayers! I covet them, each and every one! And, I pray the Lord's blessing on each one who has walked with us throught his journey!<br />Blessings!<br />PS A few pics of her favorite things... the Cozy Coupe & the Park!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGrsTqzECTCJFUK6HVwVlXiAZKDosu1x_FyICb9cKNS4djIT3mWNbkl2BeNgdflKnyUGoRN6hwqAWoLF9CgiF8lFhkyUUFS_0btR4frImXWkU78844h4itXBRKRpF6MUOAOC_nwflkMXk/s1600/DSCN0539.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJGrsTqzECTCJFUK6HVwVlXiAZKDosu1x_FyICb9cKNS4djIT3mWNbkl2BeNgdflKnyUGoRN6hwqAWoLF9CgiF8lFhkyUUFS_0btR4frImXWkU78844h4itXBRKRpF6MUOAOC_nwflkMXk/s320/DSCN0539.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607139415141780498" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLeHfrpJJhWr9m_fv8xZ_OBPyGRaPNsURQ1J2vUjd-NgX0c7uEaz6_nbZ0fwDxk6uke8XpqlIhMKVji-EJkTIZYOoEWc62ShyrWJzWuCkSQvZXz9qLvBsGBNsqc7gMoLHLL9sqIRdgwdDi/s1600/DSCN0536.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLeHfrpJJhWr9m_fv8xZ_OBPyGRaPNsURQ1J2vUjd-NgX0c7uEaz6_nbZ0fwDxk6uke8XpqlIhMKVji-EJkTIZYOoEWc62ShyrWJzWuCkSQvZXz9qLvBsGBNsqc7gMoLHLL9sqIRdgwdDi/s320/DSCN0536.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607139412122782642" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEBlpV1VqV4pK_6LAovNKSl4SG5wmrUCOsf7JQfxBLOf123sJFqRlu-kqizVzg6a37-8L1TrA8Qx-8AV11wnY_Mz9iwFyDoMtqP0QvH0yVdQDbrMSWX-xmV6tPbt7R45Hd2ZT_9YxsXc_/s1600/DSCN0532.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYEBlpV1VqV4pK_6LAovNKSl4SG5wmrUCOsf7JQfxBLOf123sJFqRlu-kqizVzg6a37-8L1TrA8Qx-8AV11wnY_Mz9iwFyDoMtqP0QvH0yVdQDbrMSWX-xmV6tPbt7R45Hd2ZT_9YxsXc_/s320/DSCN0532.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607139402371105826" /></a>Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-10698304887048353902011-05-08T18:39:00.000-07:002011-05-08T19:34:27.692-07:00Mother's Day!What a day! I hardly no where to begin! But, first I want to get a little historical.... it was on this day 5 years ago that I knew God's call for adoption had been placed on my life! I was singing in the choir and while some may not believe me, I heard an audible voice say to me, as another single mother was dedicating her adopted daughter, "You can do this!" It was so audible that I turned to the person next to me in the choir loft and said "What did you say?" to which that person replied.... "What are you talking aobut, I didn't say anything?" Well, I knew what had been said, and I knew that God had started many years ago working on my heart regarding adoption! At the time, 5 years ago, I had absolutely NO idea how in the world this adoption calling was going to work out! God is sooo good, and He had it ALL in His hands from the minute I said YES to this calling! I can hardly believe the twists and turns that this journey has taken me on! But, oh what joy God brought me TODAY as I look back on that crooked and broken road and see just where He has brought me from! 2 years and 8 months ago when I filled out the application for my agency, I had to give my testimony in the application. (Lifeline is a Christian based agency.) In re-reading this testimony before I turned in my application, I realized how EVERY SINGLE event, good and bad, lined up to prepare me for this process and for bringing my Precious Peruvian home! Even as I was praying over her file, was approved by Peru to adopt her, even her Blessing Day, are all significant dates in my life. Even down to the fact that her state's flag is a flag that is the colors of the rainbow.... when I was a teenager I belonged to an organization for young women called Rainbow Girls (and just like the people from Cusco, I get real upset when the rainbow flag is used for those choosing a different lifestyle!) Cusco's flag is all 7 colors of the rainbow... just like Rainbow Girls! In Rainbow Girls each color stood for something Love, Religion, Nature, Patriotism...etc..... it was Religion's verse that first instilled in me who God's heart was for! The scripture used with this particular lesson is this "Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is to care for ORPHANS and widows in their affliction..... " James 1:27. Amazing how over 25 years ago, this lesson was instilled in my heart and today it has come to fruition! Oh, How big is our GOD! I could have never even began to think or imagine the magnitude of what God would do! And, He is still working! To God be the Glory for the Great things HE has done --- and has yet to do! I am so incredibly humbled that He found me even remotely faithful for this task of motherhood! But, my "Mustard Seed" of faith was all HE needed to move the mountains and prepare the way to my Precious Peruvian! <br /><br />Today is my first Mother's Day so I don't really have anything to compare it too... but it was the best day a VERY NEW adoptive Mom could ask for! My Precious Peruvian had such a great day! She laughed so hard and had such a great time! I am so thankful to the MANY who have wished me a Happy Mother's Day via e-mail, phone calls, texts, Facebook, and cards! And, to my friends who took me to lunch today complete with yummy cake, and then to my friends who brought dinner, and helped me eat that yummy cake.... THANK YOU!!! What a blessing you all were to me today! At lunch, my Precious Peruvian got to meet and play with her new friend Maggie! She even called Maggie by name and while at the park, she spontaneously gave Maggie a big hug! Maggie taught her how to walk up the slide (with Mom's help of course!) to drive the toy jeep, to play the music --- you could hear both girls laughing hysterically at the music! Maggie showed her how to swing from the monkey bars made just for toddlers, and all the ropes of this new playground! She had such a great time! Then we came home and Little Bit stayed in her bed, but didn't nap.... we finally had a snack and then went to walk Mia, a part of our daily routine! She learned about her Little Tykes cozy coup the other day.... well, she wanted to ride in it today! I was just trying to talk her into walking, but she actually got it out of its parking spot on the porch... not an easy feat... and so well, she got to ride for all of her hard work! She loved it! Our other friends (neighbors) got their cozy coup out and off we went.... two Mamas, two cozy coups with two little internationally adopted girls, and two dogs! We were a sight to behold and the girls just LOVED it! She also started trying to say Elizabeth's name ( a little harder to say though!) and gave her a big hug! Before long, my Precious Peruvian can push her own car with her feet and Mama will be glad! Then we had two friends over for dinner, our friends who helped keep Mia while Mama was gone to Peru! She even did great through dinner, belly laughing and everything! This is the first time she has done her "belly laugh" (you can't help but laugh yourself when she does this laugh!) and oh how it did this Mama's heart good to hear it again! What a great present for this Mamá... to see her little girl so happy on such a beautiful day! Happy Mother's Day to Me! I couldn't have asked for anything more!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH70tLlKv-5bTnAjIOIoO7qJc7BQmsQyAP4QCXA0B_wRmuhLGvwIt6NU0yXMpndT5BWumDUtklp_g4u-3bwso-GRJz4JFezXcFc5HP5rmZBOel3lErkdK_htkM8aDr7E3RTH8xvZPFH7CP/s1600/Mother%2527s+Day+at+the+park.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 130px; height: 98px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH70tLlKv-5bTnAjIOIoO7qJc7BQmsQyAP4QCXA0B_wRmuhLGvwIt6NU0yXMpndT5BWumDUtklp_g4u-3bwso-GRJz4JFezXcFc5HP5rmZBOel3lErkdK_htkM8aDr7E3RTH8xvZPFH7CP/s320/Mother%2527s+Day+at+the+park.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5604538227731004930" /></a><br />She is adjusting pretty well! We had a few rough days since we got home, but nothing REALLY bad! In fact, yesterday we had our very first day without "Papa Lay".... and as I was thinking "Wow! We made it through a day with no Papa Lay, she was laying in bed (not going to sleep) saying "Papa Lay, Papa Lay" ---- a dagger to a new Mama's heart! :-) But, she didn't get any yesterday! She did get some from Tia Gia y Tio Joey when they came for dinner tonight..... instant friends! :-) We are taking each day one at a time, and each day seems to be better than the day before! Today was a great day, so we'll keep working for more of those! :-)Thank you for your continued prayers, for your love and encouragement and support for us! It has been such a HUGE blessing, I will NEVER be able to tell you how much of a blessing it is to me! I am sure that there are lots of Moms out there who feel this way, but I can say I am one of the MOST blessed Mama's on this Mothers Day!<br /><br />Happy Mother's Day to all the Mothers out there. Brand new Moms, Moms who have given us such wisdom and courage, Adoptive Moms, Birthmoms, Moms to Be, and those who have been like a Mom to us! What a beautiful thing when God chose to bring His own Son into the world through a Mother.... what a joyous and amazing gift He gave us in Jesus, so that we might might be "adopted" ---"chosen" heirs with Christ!<br />Blessings!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-85252081252496586072011-05-04T19:37:00.000-07:002011-05-04T20:38:25.127-07:00There's No Place Like Home!First of all, THANK YOU all for praying us home! I was very nervous about going back through Immigration last night, but God granted us a very nice Immigration Officer this time who was so glad that we were getting through this time! He checked all the paperwork and started scanning passport barcodes.... I almost couldn't restrain myself from jumping up and down! We all got through and then about half way past the officials we all did a HUGE high 5 and I did a HUGE sigh of relief!! We got to our gate and I could finally breathe! Then this nice Japanese man came and sat down and gave her some candy.... which was really nice, but then he started taking pictures of her and me, seriously it was Paparazzi like and I almost had to be ugly about all the pictures he was taking! It bordered on really strange.... I did feel better when I saw him taking pictures of some other Peruvians too, it was just a strange thing!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb85MhFnMsPYjYwF_Ktl-N-kZMIfz5XM0jeSeX2FD5AEIbFQEn104mQsI8Ex67UczxwYYbsN48eysqwkL-gUTPmHabGdzUSMf9uClWjW5so5MZ0GKa8wB_VgALl8dci49kLh1lIgbhIsTv/s1600/DSCN0506.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb85MhFnMsPYjYwF_Ktl-N-kZMIfz5XM0jeSeX2FD5AEIbFQEn104mQsI8Ex67UczxwYYbsN48eysqwkL-gUTPmHabGdzUSMf9uClWjW5so5MZ0GKa8wB_VgALl8dci49kLh1lIgbhIsTv/s320/DSCN0506.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603068251624348706" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNxEXDrpipcVGVUFfWVivM45hxsEAfNSs-_Sqo0YGc4FBrSFpTLgRQgLQSFXKv-dmHgmYuMZPOx05CdIIzdd2xE0z8fRC2lNaieoIlC5znBJo_FThY61u71JcCgDhyphenhyphenzppEFXqs_ESJG6bP/s1600/DSCN0507.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNxEXDrpipcVGVUFfWVivM45hxsEAfNSs-_Sqo0YGc4FBrSFpTLgRQgLQSFXKv-dmHgmYuMZPOx05CdIIzdd2xE0z8fRC2lNaieoIlC5znBJo_FThY61u71JcCgDhyphenhyphenzppEFXqs_ESJG6bP/s320/DSCN0507.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603068249920218386" /></a><br />So, we finally boarded our flight and my Precious Peruvian... the WHOLE time we were at the airport was a perfect Angel! I couldn't believe it! If it were me, I would have been screaming the whole time from the frustration of the night before! But, she did great! We got on the plane and she flew (again) like she was the Princess of Delta Airlines and she slept pretty good for a couple of hours. AMAZING! Then this morning she was ready to go, waited patiently through US Immigration (a COMPLETELY different experience here!), then as we went through customs and on to our next flight. We did have to break out a well deserved can of Pringles (Papa Lay)! She was such a trooper after that! We flew to B'ham and were greeted at the airport by a few friends and my wonderful SW at Lifeline! It was a sweet gathering, and my Precious Peruvian didn't even frown at anyone!! She said "Hello and Goodbye" to everyone who was there even though they were strangers! AMAZING! And, she was sooo tired! Then came my next worry.... the car seat! Well, I told her she had her own special seat, she jumped right in it and was even trying to help me buckle the seatbelt, as if she had ever ridden in a car seat before! AMAZING! She didn't once complain and within about 5 minutes she was fast asleep! We stopped ont he way home.... through a drive through.... and got some lunch, then we came home, getting out wasn't so good, but again she didn't know where she was. After about 10 mins with her music, she was fine all over again! AMAZING!! Wherever I am, she is content to be and while she has a few moments, she recovers so well! Again, a HUGE answer to prayer for resiliency for her! <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_kbiQCBzR_3jTpyEfJUUAUrQtlT9ZTElcliQqnpWP_FIOWMaLSpiuu-FdvsE6gbfMPI4gELQbVz2dKcJD5yWvByi8qfIAX0Rgv7LWOs22GYv_fn82gkSym-6f65Nr_vP-8ZyF_Itl1Yz/s1600/DSCN0510.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE_kbiQCBzR_3jTpyEfJUUAUrQtlT9ZTElcliQqnpWP_FIOWMaLSpiuu-FdvsE6gbfMPI4gELQbVz2dKcJD5yWvByi8qfIAX0Rgv7LWOs22GYv_fn82gkSym-6f65Nr_vP-8ZyF_Itl1Yz/s320/DSCN0510.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603068241780955506" /></a><br />Loving the airplane seat... her very own!<br /><br />Then we showed her her new room.... she kept saying "¡Oh Mira!"..... "Oh look!"! She was too cute, a little overwhelmed, but too cute! She loved her little beauty shop and seeing herself in the mirror.... too cute! Then we laid down for a nap, she fell asleep after a little bit, and slept well..... only to be awakened by her new friend.... Mia! Oh! I was so glad to see my little dog! I missed my sassy Chihuahua soooooo much! I am so thankful for those who took such good care of her while I was gone! She too was glad to be home too! She is now overseeing the blog.... to make sure that I get everything in there, like the millions of times she has licked her new friend! Mia has discovered that Liliana will be a good source of all the food Mom won't let her have! But, so far, they have gotten along great! Mia has done great with her except for the licking and Liliana has so far been ok with Mia too! Yay! Another answer to prayer!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9nq7oPlb4M4ZcyjizCsoAA8gg4C8cUxY_LC9WNUSncijX1k1KVbMjdpyp2HLjcwOcwT6i4VU8HGT2hsP9yKkTReYFZwjGoXPWJwPJ0UHIncPeDPFZBPzJ4rWlMVw0DQy9iBGPoVuKZul/s1600/DSCN0516.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV9nq7oPlb4M4ZcyjizCsoAA8gg4C8cUxY_LC9WNUSncijX1k1KVbMjdpyp2HLjcwOcwT6i4VU8HGT2hsP9yKkTReYFZwjGoXPWJwPJ0UHIncPeDPFZBPzJ4rWlMVw0DQy9iBGPoVuKZul/s320/DSCN0516.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603069751032700626" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsXm08PW0iQkwm_dY6doTYZY2I6lb0aako0LU68p0J9xUHWwWA3sbZwYo79m8aYpMO86-J268r5i4vutIFRPFsLhxxcjuKMzJJvjM9kRySEfroo7U8rswmxulwNkRJIQPWck9Li2G5xfV/s1600/DSCN0517.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnsXm08PW0iQkwm_dY6doTYZY2I6lb0aako0LU68p0J9xUHWwWA3sbZwYo79m8aYpMO86-J268r5i4vutIFRPFsLhxxcjuKMzJJvjM9kRySEfroo7U8rswmxulwNkRJIQPWck9Li2G5xfV/s320/DSCN0517.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603069747322494834" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOlTJJ0bK0Kjf6ibiS2Yzn5jh1b7CuCh2_cQegkoVsxvPLCS0s3RrUM_4kgSE09is6h9SnOts2W-4OB13bxL4LmNg0gOlKvITMsQmKpEGb9a7JWg2h2FA9NaV0SQC1dYK5EhNSSH9CCYY/s1600/DSCN0523.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOlTJJ0bK0Kjf6ibiS2Yzn5jh1b7CuCh2_cQegkoVsxvPLCS0s3RrUM_4kgSE09is6h9SnOts2W-4OB13bxL4LmNg0gOlKvITMsQmKpEGb9a7JWg2h2FA9NaV0SQC1dYK5EhNSSH9CCYY/s320/DSCN0523.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5603069742531929874" /></a><br />Thank you to my precious friends who picked us up from the airport and came to see us there today, my precious friend who stocked my fridge with groceries and even made dinner and these awesome muffins! Thank you to all of you who have offered to do things, I promise I will let you know if I need something! And, thank you to everyone for your thoughts, prayers and encouragements! The last 48 hours were one of the biggest hurdles I have had to face, but I just had to trust God more! And, He did provide.... not how I wanted Him to, but He did provide! My Precious Peruvian officially becomes a US Citizen at midnight tonight! She will maintain dual citizenship, which is great for her, but I am so excited that we have now reached the next phase of the journey! And, thank you to the MANY who have prayed us this far! <br /><br />Please continue to pray for us as we adjust to home! Already tonight, I could tell she felt at home, maybe because I feel "at home"! She loved her bathtub and I almost couldn't talk her into getting out! Please pray for her as I am sooooo glad to be home, she has had to give up her home! So, please pray for her as she goes through the process of grieving her old home (some of this has already taken place) and as she adjusts to her new home and new friends! Please continue to pray for wisdom, strength and courage for me and resiliency and continued attachment for Liliana! Please join me in giving ALL Glory & Honor to the only One Worthy! It is by His great love for us that the desire to adopt grew in my heart! He has shown me His Faithfulness, Power, Strength & how to rely solely on Him alone! <br /><br />By the way, we are still working on transitioning her name.... for now her nickname is Pili.... so she may not answer to Lillie or Liliana..... we'll be working on that now that we are home! Thank you again for everything.... this very tired Mamá is going to go to bed now!<br />Blessings & Love!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-53371930739877936102011-05-03T15:54:00.000-07:002011-05-03T16:06:26.203-07:00Last Post from Peru.... Take Two!Thank you all so much for your thoughts, prayers and encouragements for today! We all know that I do not do surprises very well and apparently my child is her Mother's daughter because she wasn't real fond of it either! Last night was one of the most terrible airport experiences of my life! And, it was the officials at the airport telling me that this was the fault of my SW, etc.... actually, it turns out that it just depends on who you ask aobut this law! I guess kind of like the US everyone has their own interpretation.... unfortunately the two necessary parties weren't in agreement with this and I was caught in the middle! After talking with the National Adoption officials this morning, who were incredibly supportive and agreed that this document wasn't really necessary...... but said, just go on and have it done.... which was my opinion too! Whatever they want, i will do! Oh, but it was a crazy night with very little sleep and very little rest today! But, thanks be to God for making a way! We were able to come back to the IMB Guesthouse and stay another day, and they have been wonderful in helping me get what I needed. He also provided my wonderful Peruvian SW who I rolled out of bed this morning, and she kept on keeping on until the job was done! While last night's events at the airport were no surprise to God, they sure were to me, but I am glad that He had it all taken care of.... even the sweet Austin family who I woke up at 11:30 last night for help! What wonderful friends they have been to me while here!<br /><br />So, in just a minute, I wake up my Precious Peruvian to start the madness all over again! PLEASE pray for her, last night she did pretty well considering, but it was very traumatic for her, and we reached a new level of Category 5 Meltdown..... actually so did Mamá. And, poor Mom (Grammie) she has had enough Internaitonal experience for her lifetime..... so PLEASE pray that all goes well tonight and that we can actually get on the plane and come home! Pleae pray for smooth flights and that Little Bit has one more reserve of resiliency left in her!!! <br />Love & Blessings!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-14707513118308749872011-05-02T16:34:00.000-07:002011-05-02T16:42:12.780-07:00Last Post From Peru!Wow in some ways it seems I have only been here a week and other times it feels like forever! I have so enjoyed my time here with these very generous people who are so loving and so kind! I have been well taken care of and God has most certainly prepared the way for me! I know too, that He has prepared the way for our coming home and adjustment time there! We are all so ready to be home.... but it will be another set of changes for my precious Peruvian! If you read this tonight, please pray that our flights go well and that she will sleep through the night. She did not take a nap again today..... probably a little bit of hypervigilence for not knowing what is coming next...... so I am not so sure how she will be on the plane, but pleae pray for her to sleep all the way through, that would be GREAT! <br /><br />We spent our last day here visiting with our friends the Austin family, our Peruvian SW and then a trip to McDonlad's! It has been a good last day here and we are so looking forward to being home tomorrow! Thank you for all of your prayers for our safety, protection and provision while we have been here in Peru. I can not even begin to tell you just how much all of your love and support have meant for my Precious Peruvian, Me and Mom too! You all have been such a blessing and I covet your continued prayers as we move through another adjustment phase in coming home! <br /><br />Next post ---- from Pelham, Alabama!<br />Love & Blessings!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-89891654606155194172011-05-01T21:40:00.000-07:002011-05-01T21:44:00.324-07:00Just One More Day!Hi All, just a quick note to say that all went well today! We went to the Larco Mar... a really nice shopping area here in Lima. It was neat and we all had a good time! Mamá has had a killer headache all day, so we came back so that she could take a nap -- sadly, it didn't help! But, I am getting better now! Who knows why these things happen?!? It was a good day all in all! My biggest prayer need is for WISDOM and a lot of FAITH! Please pray for that today if you get the chance, I would greatly appreciate it! I'll post once more (Hopefully) before we leave tomorrow evening for the airport!<br />Love & Blessings!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-27115972401520927382011-04-30T20:22:00.000-07:002011-04-30T20:44:17.584-07:00I Love Saturdays!Ahh! What a great Saturday it was today! We slept in late.... couldn't believe that for any of the three of us --- ok well, maybe me! :-) We got to fix our own breakfast for the first time in 4 weeks... yummy! We had to figure a few things out like washing the eggs and all..... yeah, you have to wash the eggs to prevent getting some kind of contaminant from the shell. Interesting, I know! This is why I haven't had any raw veggies or fruit.... oh, I can't wait! :-) Then we went to the Inka Market here in Lima, very nice place and it was actually quiet and no one was harrassing you to buy things on the street! We had a great time picking out things for my little one's Peruvian treasure box! This was my plan, to buy something for every year's Blessing Day gift, until she turned 18...... I don't know if we met our goal for every year, but we got close! :-)<br /><br />Then we went for lunch, and they had corn on the cob..... I am not a big corn eater, but let me tell you, I gobbled that up!! It was so yummy too! Made my tummy happy.... for a little while at least! :-) Then we had a nice leisurely nap, dinner and went for ice cream! It is so funny to see my little one eat ice cream! Every bite is a shock to her! When it first hits her mouth and is so cold, she doesn't know what to do with it.... but then it starts to melt and she can taste the sweetness..... then it is all giggles and laughter.... until... the next bite! We have had ice cream several times now and it is the same process over and over again!Too funny! Poor thing, one day she'll fuss at me for posting the following picture, but there just aren't words to describe the look on her face when the ice cream first hits... it is too cute!! <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYKAseSpGQ19ekIjxyr5S3FLO-eIaBxloxDDYGphPDhtGHRmdXE7FiRGuK6J390P3cuW1fcuepM4he6ouk3v1LW8dYszuZDjFrLySKW_aSMCPGVUONnJvv1gY5ZJFdi-EYxb0RJUxka4Hx/s1600/DSCN0489.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYKAseSpGQ19ekIjxyr5S3FLO-eIaBxloxDDYGphPDhtGHRmdXE7FiRGuK6J390P3cuW1fcuepM4he6ouk3v1LW8dYszuZDjFrLySKW_aSMCPGVUONnJvv1gY5ZJFdi-EYxb0RJUxka4Hx/s320/DSCN0489.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601587758910387378" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_taHYs2bVKX66b4sEYxTwMV7VO4jsEvqeAiiJndk3MF9agZ4LiuNXQsabVmwTP4Z6PA8kQGecPJLM1siF-zFgw_69Ly87slRqbXKrKaWkkGUZ4Fxtrpgb5bV_yINoa12G3Pmd-h8WNFA/s1600/DSCN0485.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY_taHYs2bVKX66b4sEYxTwMV7VO4jsEvqeAiiJndk3MF9agZ4LiuNXQsabVmwTP4Z6PA8kQGecPJLM1siF-zFgw_69Ly87slRqbXKrKaWkkGUZ4Fxtrpgb5bV_yINoa12G3Pmd-h8WNFA/s320/DSCN0485.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5601587757525585362" /></a><br />So, tomorrow's plan is to visit the Larco Mar and maybe the ocean for a minute or two. :-) Then we will begin the process of re-packing everything to get ready to come home! Yay!! I am so thankful for God's provisions, His protection and His love for us! I am so thankful that I have been able to share with others what a BIG God He is! Today, while at the market, one sweet lady thanked me for what I was doing to help her country by adopting one of their children.... Wow! It is I, who am so incredibly blessed is what I told her! What a sweet comment for her to make! I do get lots of stares and questions sometimes, but each time is a reminder of how blessed I am to have this little one's laughter fill my heart! So, thanks be to God for his love and faithfulness!<br />Blessings!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-81585495359314630222011-04-29T20:29:00.000-07:002011-04-29T20:51:44.584-07:00Getting Closer!Well, apparently I got too used to that "Peruvian Time"! Today we went to the Embassy and everything moved really fast... too fast! I had a frustrating start as I ended up having to throw out all of the things to keep my little Peruvian happy --- water, juice, pudding! I thought, "Oh great, here I am with nothing to give her to drink and we are going to sit in another 90 degree room for 2 hours!" So, my mindset and attitude weren't too good this morning! I had already had a frustrating morning with the hotel staff, here in most places it is customary for them to call a taxi for you.... apparently, this guy didn't know that and kept saying he couldn't call one for me. After somewhat politely telling him that all I needed was a phone book, I would call myself, he finally got with the program! We did end up with a great driver too! So, back to the Embassy, our appointment went along very smoothly and went really well! The Consul asked me when we were planning to return home and I explained to her that I needed to get home as soon as possible b/c my Precious Peruvian needed some more solid routine and I needed to be home in B'ham and she said "Oh!" and understood! All paperwork should be ready to go on Monday by 3:00 pm. We were sort of hoping for a little faster turn around (like TODAY) but we'll take Monday, it is what we had hoped for all along! <br /> So, our plan is to fly out of here on Monday night late and arrive into B'ham (again PLEASE pray that all goes well with the flights!) on Tuesday around noon! We are excited to be close! We get to spend some time this weekend with the precious Austin Family who has been so good to us while we have been here this month! And, there are a few things we haven't done yet like, put our feet in the Pacific Ocean (well, I have before, but not Mom nor Liliana Pilar), visit the Larco Mar and the Inka Market! So, we still have a busy few days before leaving here! Thankfully, we are back at the IMB Guesthouse and this is one happy Mamá! We have a kitchen, place to sit and eat and living room and then a bedroom with room for each of us! Last night, I had to give my Precious Peruvian a shower (she was terrified of the water coming down) but tonight, I could give her a bath and she was happy as a clam! Mamá was happy too!<br /> I am so thankful that all of our process is over! All we have to do is await approval from the US..... no worries here, just formality! I kind of feel like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders a bit! I can sit back and breathe! My Precious Peruvian has done really well the last couple of days, in spite of all of the chaos going on around her! And, we are almost home! Some things to pray for... Mamá now has a bit of what Grammie had last week! We aren't sure if it was something I drank or if it was a virus that she had, and now I have! My feeling bad is nothing compared to hers, but PLEASE pray for me to feel better soon! And, please continue to pray for us as we prepare to come home! Pray that we will enjoy our last two days here. And, PLEASE pray that we will be able to make all of our flights and that we will be home at noon on Tuesday!<br />Love & Blessings & Continued Prayers for all those affected by the tornadoes.Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-21742123089836752772011-04-28T20:38:00.000-07:002011-04-28T21:02:22.213-07:00On Peruvian Time Again!Today was another one of those CRAZY days! Soon, we will be home and things can settle a bit and be in a routine! Oh, how Mamá misses her routine! I keep waiting for the bell to ring to end this class period, but it isn't there..... Mamá is really missing her schedule! Right now we live on Peruvian time! This means that you have your Dr's appointment scheduled for 10:00 am.... at a private clinic, mind you, this is an "American" clinic! We go and wait for over an hour in a room that is about 90 degrees with a 3 year old who doesn't really like the whole situation to begin with! Then, we are told that before she can see the Dr. she needs some more vaccines -- she had to have chicken pox (of which she has already had the chicken pox) the flu vaccine and the pneumonia vaccine---- thanks United States, you don't require my 3 year old to have one if she was born there, but because she is coming from a differnt country we have to have them before she gets there! Oh my! And, to the tune of about $250! While I had the money in the bank, it was not with me at the time... so poor Mom had to run to find an ATM to pay for this part! The other Office visit part was about $70. Ok--- honestly US Gov't, REALLY?!?!? I know, I know, it is best for her and a good thing to have everyone inocculated before they enter the US... but can we get a little heas's up on that?!?!? <br />So, on to the shots part.... did I mention before that my child is TERRIFIED of Doctors? I really mean TERRIFIED! I was barely strong enough to hold her down for the nurse to give her the 3 vaccines that she needed! Then on top of this we still had to see the Doctor! I can say this for him, he was really good, and really good with her, although she wasn't impressed! Thankfully, we made it through! We went to lunch and came back here to rest! Nothing happens fast around here, so it took almost an hour and a half to eat lunch! ---By this point we were all worn out!<br />I woke up from my nap, only to realize that I had to go to the ATM again for tomorrow's visit to the Embassy! Oh, the joys of living in a place where a car is a luxury! I had to walk six blocks back to where we had lunch to get to an ATM.... all they while order dinner for room service, check on a taxi for tomorrow and see about checking out of this hotel in the morning so that we can move to the IMB Guesthouse tomorrow! Craziness! :-)<br />Sorry if I sound like I am complaining... I don't mean to be! I am so thankful so for many things! There are frustrating things in life (usually the small stuff!) and we just have to see beyond these things! I am thankful that so far, all of my friends and family are ok --- not sure about any damage yet for some of them, but sounds like things are ok! Thank you to those of you who e-mailed me to let me know that everything was ok in our area! I am praying for those affected by the storms and have NO words for the pictures and videos that I have seen here! It is devastating! (Understatement of the century!) Please pray for our Embassy appointment tomorrow! I will have an interview, please pray for me to use some wise and polite assertiveness in letting them know that we need to get home! First of all, we need to get home so that my Precious Peruvian can finally be in one place.... HOME for a while! right now, she doesn't understand all of these changes and she is PERFECTLY unimpressed by all of the "red-tape!" Our hope and prayer is to be able to fly out of here late Monday night and be in B'ham around noon on Tuesday! PLEASE, PLEASE help pray us home! While I have loved my time here, I am ready for home! I miss my little sassy Chihuahua and CAN NOT wait to have those doggie kisses on my chin! :-) Of course, she might be PERFECTLY unimpressed that I am bringing home a little one.... you can pray for that too! <br />Thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers in the midst of the tragedy going on around us at home! I join you in praying for these victims! And, for those of you not from the B'ham area, please pray for my sweet city! Sweet Home Alabama, I can not wait to see you again!<br />Blessings & Prayers!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-55121377866653833682011-04-27T20:59:00.001-07:002011-04-27T21:14:19.867-07:00Exhausted!Wow! It has been a whirlwind of a week! Starting with our trip to Machu Pichu on Sunday, birth certificate on Monday, delayed flights on Tuesday and Immigration today! Wow! Are we there yet?!?!?!? Needless to say, we were EXHAUSTED by the time we got to our hotel today and we all took about a 4 hour nap! I hope we can all sleep tongiht, but I have a feeling it won't be a problem for any of us! <br /><br />Today, we got her Peruvian passport! Here getting a passport is very different than home! We brought all her paperwork, gave it to the appropriate people, paid the appropriate fees and Voila! 2 1/2 hours later we had a passport! Amazing, to say the least! Anyhow, the funny thing is that the Immigration Office is in the Center of a parking garage! It just made Mom and I laugh! I laughed and told our SW how this would NEVER happen in the US! You have to have an approved appointment letter to do ANYTHING with Immigration in the US and you don't get a choice about when you go, you go when they tell you to go, etc.... she thought that was strange!:-) Well, there are some benefits to living in other countries after all! :-)<br /><br />Well after a very long morning, we got some lunch and came back to the hotel to rest a bit.... we all needed a nap! We haven't left the hotel tonight! I think it is safe to say we have all been a little overstimulated the last 4 days! Tomorrow, we go to see the Embassy Doctor. PLEASE pray for this to go well! The last visit with a Dr. did not go over very well with her, so I am asking for some more prayers of resiliency!! Thank you! Also, please pray for her Visa to be done on Monday! I found out today that Friday wasn't going to be a possiblitly in being done with the Visa.... and that the earliest would be Monday, possibly even Tuesday! PLEASE pray for Monday and for some wise assertiveness on my part! They have completed other families' Visas in one day, there is no reason at all mine should take 3..... so please pray that I will be wise in my assertiveness as I politely tell them on Friday that we have flights scheduled for Monday night, and we REALLY don't need to have to change them! We have come this far, please pray that our own Embassy doesn't hold us up even longer!!! :-)<br /><br />Today, I am thanking God for His wisdom and protection and some rest! I am praying with you all for all those who have had damage or loss of everything in the tornadoes from today! Someone please update me on the status of things in the Hoover/Pelham area.... I think last I heard, everything was ok, but this storm sounds like it has affected SO many! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers! Sorry, no pics again today.... we are at a hotel right now with really slow WiFi! We will be changing hotels on Friday.... this one has WAY BETTER WiFi and I will post some pics! <br />Love and Blessings to you all!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1741304296147870142.post-47015181770361671062011-04-26T18:58:00.000-07:002011-04-26T19:10:54.454-07:00Shhhh..... Don't tell Mamá¡Hola! Me llamo Liliana Pilar!……oops! I forgot that most of you don’t speak my heart language! That’s ok, I’ll get Mom to help me! I wanted to tell you a little bit about me, but I know Mamá has been putting lots of things in her blog already! The truth is that I am still learning my new name and well English is really hard, especially when you are still learning your own heart language! I am still getting used to the outside world. While my Caregivers loved me very, very much and did so much to prepare me to meet my Mamá, there is a whole world of new things out there that I am not sure about and don’t understand! I do love being outside and enjoy walking! But, I really don’t like it when people approach me and want to touch me. It isn’t because I don’t like people, it is just because I don’t know you and I have only known the same 6-10 people my whole life! Just getting to know my Mamá is hard for me and well, it wears me out! I do love people, but it will take me a while to show you. If I frown at you when you talk to me, I am working on a different response. Mamá doesn’t like it when I do that and she is teaching me how to say Hello to people even if I don’t want to, but that is hard too! It takes me a while to warm up to people, even children my own age. I know that they just want to play with me and love me and be my friend, but where I grew up, I had a few friends, but mostly we always had to compete for the attention of our caregivers or each other’s toys. I don’t know what it is to have my own toys. I do share really well Mamá says, especially the foods that I don’t like to eat! But, the truth is that I am still learning how to share because it is hard to share when everyone wants the same toy! <br /> Hmmm…. Let’s see, the best way for us to know each other is for me to take my own time to warm up to you. Mamá tries to help me by telling me what’s coming next, but sometimes I just don’t understand! So, please be patient with me when I start moving out into my new world! Actually, my second new world! Mamá tells me that we’ll take a big plane and we will be on it for a while and then lots of lines and then on another plane…. It will be a very long trip to my new home! It will take me a while just to get over the trip! I don’t know much about planes, but I have been on one before when I was much younger. I just don’t know about this long distance flight….. oh I hope I get to sleep…. I bet Mamá does too!<br /> Mamá tells me that so many people have been praying for me and love me already! While I don’t understand what all of this means, I know what love is and that so many have loved me and my Mamá for a very long time, and especially during our journey of finding each other. I know one day I will understand what this means and that I will appreciate it beyond measure! I know because everyone has prayed for me and loved me, they will all want to hold me, touch me, talk to me and do things for me. The truth is that right now Mamá is the only one that I will allow to do these things. And, right now, she is the only one that I trust enough to do them for me! (If someone could teach her to do my hair, that would be ok…. Don’t tell her I said this, but she is SLOW!!)But, because it is hard for me to get to know you, and even little one’s my age, I just need my Mamá right now. The best way for me right now is to get to know you in a comfortable environment, one at a time. I know Mamá can’t wait to take me to her school and to her church to show me off to everyone, but she and I have already talked and she understands that this might be too much for me,. So, we’ll work on it, little by little! But I know that I will soon be ready to meet everyone too! <br /> Now, here’s the truth… Mamá is pretty new at all of this, so she will need some help, I am sure. By the way, the sooner she can get help with my hair the better! Just kidding, I love for her to do my hair, she does get really frustrated with herself though! So, anyhow, I know that she might need help in other areas, like meals, washing clothes, etc., but I know that she will ask for help if needed! The great thing is that she doesn’t have to go back to work right away and we can have some time together to adjust to our new life together and to my new life in the US. She says I am going to love it but that I have to go to several doctors, have lots of tests done and start therapy, and well that just sounds like a lot for me! We’ll see, please pray for God to give me strength and resiliency during these times. But, I am sure Mamá will let you know what she needs. Oh, by the way, I am not really used to American food yet, and did you know that Mamá has this crazy diet, all she can eat is chicken, fish and turkey, no creamy stuff, no cheese….. SAD!! She eats almost the same thing here everyday….. I can’t wait for some variety! I have a feeling that I will love Macaroni & Cheese --- the best part is, I don’t even have to share with Mamá…. Although I would!<br /> Well, let me get to the point here…. Mamá and I will definitely need your prayers and your help! I just wanted to let you know a little bit about me so that you and I could have a good meeting from the start. For a long time, Mamá will need to be the only one who takes care of me and who gives me things. I already love her so much, but I still need to know that she is mine alone, that I don’t have to share her with anyone! And, I would love for people to come visit me little by little at my house, this is where I will eventually feel most comfortable, at least that is what Mamá tells me. We can try visiting at a park sometime, I LOVE to swing! So, please don’t be offended at Mamá if she says that “Today isn’t a good day for me to go play or that we just need to stay home for the afternoon.” I will soon grow used to this new way of life and the new and wonderful people in my life! I can’t wait to meet new friends and all of Mamá’s friends, but as I said earlier, it will just have to be “poco a poco” --- “little by little”! I have heard how these adoptions stories work out and that there is always a group of people at the airport waiting for us to come home, I think Mamá would love it! But, it will be a very long flight and I may be really scared and grouchy, and not feel up to meeting people, so please understand if I frown at you or cry…. I am just not sure of all the new things going on around me! <br /> Thank you for loving me already and for praying for Me and my Mamá! I already know in my heart that we were meant to be together forever, and I can’t wait until I am ready to meet everyone and start school and meet my doggie Mia….. so many things to do!<br />Love Always,<br />Liliana Pilar<br /><br />PS Mamá would also like you to know that we got to Lima all safe and sound! There is a prayer's chance after all that we could be all finished on Friday.... PLEASE pray that we can come home on Saturday! Oh yeah, and I have no idea how to do those picture thingies she does, she always waits until I am asleep..... well, she fell asleep before me this time!Rebeccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06570506915231370330noreply@blogger.com