Today is the annual Spread the Word to End the Word. That word is retard(ed). I will confess that I used this word until I was in college and a professor made us document how many times we heard it and how it was used. I was never the same after that. Now hearing the word makes me cringe. Some people use it still believing they are accurately describing people with intellectual disabilities, and not to be mean or rude. In fact I was told by a doctor in Ukraine that Oksana is "mentally retarded". I'm not out to slam those people for not knowing that there is a new PC term but I do think we need to educate them. I am, however, out to slam those who use the r word to insult people. It's rude, it's ignorant, and it degrades a whole lot of children and adults who I love dearly. This video says it best:
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month! The common theme I'm seeing in the blogs by my fellow mamas of these wonderful children is that we all have a lot to learn. I've worked with lots of amazing kids with CP. I've been their babysitter, their camp counselor, and their teacher....but there is nothing like being the mother of a child with CP. I've never found so much joy in seeing a child get a sock off, and I've never felt so much pain from a fall at a playground. I've never met more amazing people than the parents of children with special needs. They have blessed me on my short little 7 month journey. They have taught me so much about CP, about life, and about love....and I have so much more to learn!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Another Adoption....
Back in August of '09 a friend of mine, who is a foster parent, got a call from DHS about a girl with Down Syndrome who had just entered the system. They were looking for a foster home for her. My friend could only take her for a week but that gave them extra time to find a foster home that could take her long term. During that week I got to meet this girl and fell in love with her. She was the catupult that God used to send Larry and I into the journey of special needs adoption which ended up on a journey to Ukraine! All this time this little girl has always sat in the back of our minds. After arriving home and having a good adjustment period we inquired about her again. We were told that it would be worthwhile to start the process to become certified as adoptive parents through the state, and learned later that her parent's rights would be terminated. We were told up front there was no guarantee that we would get her. We completely understood that and did not go public with our certification process until we had more info. Our home is now almost open and we recently found out that another family has come forward for her. We were told that we could still be considered as a potential family. After praying about it, and finding out that the family knows her in some way, we decided that we will not pursue the adoption any further. It was not an easy decision but we are confident it was the right one. We are thrilled that there is a family to love her even if we are disappointed that it isn't us. If that family for any reason changes their mind the social workers know that we are still ready and willing.
We still believe that there is a child out there who doesn't have a family ready to step up and love them that we can love. We are completing the process through the state. We both believe that we are supposed to adopt a child with Down Syndrome, and therefore it is probably more likely that we will end up overseas again at some point. So where does this leave us? We have no idea right now. We are praying and waiting patiently (well at least somewhat patiently) for direction. In the meantime I probably need to stop looking at Reece's Rainbow's website because I've found some treasure but it isn't the right time to go treasure hunting yet!
We still believe that there is a child out there who doesn't have a family ready to step up and love them that we can love. We are completing the process through the state. We both believe that we are supposed to adopt a child with Down Syndrome, and therefore it is probably more likely that we will end up overseas again at some point. So where does this leave us? We have no idea right now. We are praying and waiting patiently (well at least somewhat patiently) for direction. In the meantime I probably need to stop looking at Reece's Rainbow's website because I've found some treasure but it isn't the right time to go treasure hunting yet!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Does it get easier?
Before I tell you what happened yesterday I should say that I am not a mom who feels sorry for Oksana. If that is what she was looking for then she really missed out! I've worked with tons of kids with disabilities that are much more involved than hers. If you feel sorry for them you will never allow them to reach their full potential. I love Oksana with all my heart but I push that little girl. She is capable of so much! When she falls people around her gasp in shock and rush to see if she is OK. We don't. We encourage her, tell her she is doing a great job, and expect her to get herself up. She has to learn to fall, it is going to always be a part of her life. Now, of course, if she really does hurt herself we are the first ones there with tons of kisses and cuddles, but really 90% of the time she falls fine and just gets right back up. I say all of this so you don't think I am a person who would normally overreact to much.
Yesterday, however, I was caught off guard by the depth of my emotions. We were at church where she is in a 4 year old class. Larry and I alternate weeks where one of us goes to service and the other stays with Oksana. This was my day with Oksana and our class went to our indoor playground for some free time. There is a fun, and fairly large, plastic play place with a slide in it. She loves to go down the slide but the reality is that it takes her FOREVER to get up the stairs. She is very patient and works hard to make it up, making the slide down all that much of a joy! The kids obviously can't be expected to wait behind her so they go around her as she goes up. Today she was going up and was almost to the top. A group of kids was coming down and they were really blowing by her. Just when I was about to tell them to be careful and slow down I saw her start to go backwards. She fell back and proceeded to fall down a few stairs before finally coming to a stop. She immediately started crying and I rushed to scoop her up.
It was honestly all I could do not to sit there and cry with her. I had to force myself to hold it in. I wasn't mad at the kids, they are 4 and didn't do anything wrong. I wasn't upset because she fell (see paragraph 1 :), I was just so sad at the injustice of it all. She works so hard to get to the top. Other kids make 15 trips down the slide in the time she makes 1. She was almost to the top and got knocked down and I was just so sad for her. I realized that this won't be the last time that she is "pushed down" because of her disability. I just wanted to sit there an mourn that for her, but I couldn't at that time. This afternoon I wondered if it would ever get easier and I've decided that on some level it never will, but I am committed to educating not only others (kids and adults alike) but educating Oksana about her disability and making sure she knows that it won't stop her from reaching for the stars!
Yesterday, however, I was caught off guard by the depth of my emotions. We were at church where she is in a 4 year old class. Larry and I alternate weeks where one of us goes to service and the other stays with Oksana. This was my day with Oksana and our class went to our indoor playground for some free time. There is a fun, and fairly large, plastic play place with a slide in it. She loves to go down the slide but the reality is that it takes her FOREVER to get up the stairs. She is very patient and works hard to make it up, making the slide down all that much of a joy! The kids obviously can't be expected to wait behind her so they go around her as she goes up. Today she was going up and was almost to the top. A group of kids was coming down and they were really blowing by her. Just when I was about to tell them to be careful and slow down I saw her start to go backwards. She fell back and proceeded to fall down a few stairs before finally coming to a stop. She immediately started crying and I rushed to scoop her up.
It was honestly all I could do not to sit there and cry with her. I had to force myself to hold it in. I wasn't mad at the kids, they are 4 and didn't do anything wrong. I wasn't upset because she fell (see paragraph 1 :), I was just so sad at the injustice of it all. She works so hard to get to the top. Other kids make 15 trips down the slide in the time she makes 1. She was almost to the top and got knocked down and I was just so sad for her. I realized that this won't be the last time that she is "pushed down" because of her disability. I just wanted to sit there an mourn that for her, but I couldn't at that time. This afternoon I wondered if it would ever get easier and I've decided that on some level it never will, but I am committed to educating not only others (kids and adults alike) but educating Oksana about her disability and making sure she knows that it won't stop her from reaching for the stars!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
New AFOs #2
Believe it or not we had to get another pair of new AFOs! The first pair were great but as she spent some time walking in them they found enough areas needing change that they started again from scratch. Her new pair are 1/8" wider. The others were really rubbing her feet which can eventually lead her skin to break down. Even with the extra space they still had to flare the plastic out in some spots where her foot really rolls into the plastic. Along with that they built up one side of the bottom of the orthotic to try to prevent some of that rolling, and they added extra support inside as well. As if that wasn't enough, she also has a toe strap on this pair!
Here are her feet. Do you see how the big toes, especially on the right, turn in?
Here is the AFO with the toe strap on to keep that toe in a proper position.
She was a little unsteady for awhile after getting these but she seems to be back up to speed now!
Here are her feet. Do you see how the big toes, especially on the right, turn in?
Here is the AFO with the toe strap on to keep that toe in a proper position.
She was a little unsteady for awhile after getting these but she seems to be back up to speed now!
Homeschool Curriculum
One "problem", if you want to call it that, of being a homeschooler is having too much to choose from when it comes to curriculum. I've found a lot of really good stuff out there but every once in awhile something comes along that is so GREAT that you have to share it with others.
We recently faced a situation where the curriculum we were using was not working for our boys anymore. I needed something new but had very little money to spend since my budget had gone to this first curriculum. While in Kiev, we met another adopting couple, Rob and Julia Nalle. They (along with 5 others) write a history curriculum called Biblioplan, so I decided to check it out. I spent a long, long time on their website and even emailed Julia to ask more questions. One thing that attracted me immediately was the price. For only $63(plus the cost of books which really isn't much at all) I could buy a curriculum that would be emailed to me and would cover history, geography, bible, and more for BOTH boys! How can you beat that?! Here is a description from their website:
BiblioPlan is a family-friendly guide designed for a chronological study of world history. Our plans integrate quality historical literature with Biblical and secular history in a format that is easy to follow and requires minimal parent preparation. It is designed so that all the children you are schooling are studying the same period of history at the same time, and doing so at their own level.
We are currently studying Ancient History but other biblioplans include Medieval, Renaissance, & Reformation, America and the World 1600-1850, and America and the World 1850-2000. The things I immediately loved about Biblioplan is that it is all laid out for me. It truly requires little to no prep for me, but it is incredible. My boys beg for History. It is designed as a 3 day a week program but we do it 5 days a week because it's our favorite part of the day. I can not believe the geography that they know already, the history is extremely interesting, and I think this might be some of the best Bible teaching my boys have had (and they've had some really good Bible teaching). There are also suggested writing assignments and tons of great books to read. What has really amazed me is what they are retaining. I just can't say enough about this. It has brought life and joy back into our homeschool days.
If you are interested in learning more go to http://biblioplan.net/ and you can see in more detail what they offer. If you have any questions about how we use it you are welcome to contact me as well.
We recently faced a situation where the curriculum we were using was not working for our boys anymore. I needed something new but had very little money to spend since my budget had gone to this first curriculum. While in Kiev, we met another adopting couple, Rob and Julia Nalle. They (along with 5 others) write a history curriculum called Biblioplan, so I decided to check it out. I spent a long, long time on their website and even emailed Julia to ask more questions. One thing that attracted me immediately was the price. For only $63(plus the cost of books which really isn't much at all) I could buy a curriculum that would be emailed to me and would cover history, geography, bible, and more for BOTH boys! How can you beat that?! Here is a description from their website:
BiblioPlan is a family-friendly guide designed for a chronological study of world history. Our plans integrate quality historical literature with Biblical and secular history in a format that is easy to follow and requires minimal parent preparation. It is designed so that all the children you are schooling are studying the same period of history at the same time, and doing so at their own level.
We are currently studying Ancient History but other biblioplans include Medieval, Renaissance, & Reformation, America and the World 1600-1850, and America and the World 1850-2000. The things I immediately loved about Biblioplan is that it is all laid out for me. It truly requires little to no prep for me, but it is incredible. My boys beg for History. It is designed as a 3 day a week program but we do it 5 days a week because it's our favorite part of the day. I can not believe the geography that they know already, the history is extremely interesting, and I think this might be some of the best Bible teaching my boys have had (and they've had some really good Bible teaching). There are also suggested writing assignments and tons of great books to read. What has really amazed me is what they are retaining. I just can't say enough about this. It has brought life and joy back into our homeschool days.
If you are interested in learning more go to http://biblioplan.net/ and you can see in more detail what they offer. If you have any questions about how we use it you are welcome to contact me as well.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Treasure
Tucked away in Ukraine, behind a tall fence that hid a pink house, sat a little girl. God told us that she was a treasure and that we were to go get her because the rewards of that treasure were to be ours. We had grand ideas about what this treasure would be like; however, I must confess that when we finally met out treasure she often didn't look, act, or smell like a treasure and sometimes I had trouble recognizing her as one. There were days when I said "Did we hear you wrong, God? Are you SURE this is her?" He continued to assure us that we had heard right, and so in obedience we brought her home. We hoped that we would be able to see what God saw after we got her home but to be honest it only got worse. Day after day we struggled to find this treasure. It was hard, but little by little we began to see glimpses of it. Now when we see her we are amazed by how blessed we are. We are truly reaping the rewards of our treasure from God. Does that mean it is always wonderful and always easy? Absolutely not! The difference is that God has allowed us to see her as He sees her and when that happens the "flaws" in the treasure are more difficult to see than they were at first. I remember when we came home I called my friend Ellen and told her "Don't EVER let me do this again!". She assured me that 1) she would never promise me that (I love you for that, Ellen!) and 2) the day would come that I would say I'd do it all over again just to have her. She was so right. We would do it a million more times for her!
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