Digest 2

Anonymous said...
thanks for answering all these questions!a couple more...-have you decided what you'll call him? it seems you've kept the names of all your adopted children, but i was wondering if you'd keep it "alexsey" or call him alex or something that sounded more "american" - not that it needs to sound that way, some parents just opt to alter it for their own reasons. :-)-do you know what kind of challenges to expect with his spina bifida? i know it can be a devastating disease, but in the pictures he appeared to be functioning well. obviously once he gets home & has the love, nourishment, attention, and medical care that so benefited Dennis that alone will help, but do you know if he'll be in a wheelchair, etc.?

Undoubtedly, we will keep his name, but we are not sure as to how we will pronounce it or what form of the name we will use since there are so many ways. I wrote this post over a year ago, and have since changed my mind about possibly changing a younger child's name. When we met Dennis our youngest Ukrainian son, he was such a scared little boy...... yet he responded to his name. We couldn't take that away from him.

But as for Alexsey--- we all call him A-lex-sey with the A accented. Yet, my Dad with the same name accents the SEY like Alex-SEY. And then there is Alex and Alec and of course a few of my girls think Lexie is pretty cute and then of course there is Alosha. Hmmmmmm, not sure what we'll do.

Regarding his challenges associated with Spina Bifida--- we really just want to get him home and lavish him with love, attention, and nutrition just like you said. I am sure that what he appears to need today would be incredibly different from what he needs after being home even just one week. Whatever the challenges may be, I trust that the Lord will carry all of us, including Alexsey through.

Mary said...
Here's another question: did you design the blog header yourself or did you get someone else to do it? It looks great!

Thanks! I did do it myself using Scrapblog. Give it a try.... you'll love it!

Jamey & Catherine said...
I wrote this already on your other blog, but when you get a chance check out our blog and read LEMONADE AWARD. You truly deserve it! Super glad to hear you found those papers and love the baby pic of Aleksey! Hope it all happens quickly!Catherine, Jamey and Oksana

Jill said... You've won an award - check out my blog!

Thanks Catherine and Jill.! I appreciate it. Since you have each given me the same award, I am combining this post. Please go check out their blogs for the full details and please check out these blogs who I in turn nominate for this award. Lana, Laurel, Chris, Jill, and Debbie come claim your award! All of you deserve it!

Kristen said...
That's so awesome Julia's a hard worker. I have a couple of questions - a little off topic of your post but 1) is Alexsey supposed to go to a different orphanage at age 4? How close is he to his birthday? Will he still be moved, even if you are in the process of adopting him? and 2) how much, if any, info do you have on your kids' birth parents? Would they, if they chose, be able to go back to the Ukraine and maybe find them at some later date?

Yes, children like Alexsey are usually transferred once they turn four, but hopefully with all of our prayers that will not happen. We have done all that we could do to prevent him from being transferred-- the last thing is to hurry over there! We have no info on the birth parents-- and while that would have concerned us years ago, now we just go with the flow and if there is none, there is none. It has been huge on our part to just learn to trust Him. But, He has not let us down yet. We are not against any of our children going back to their birth country to visit and explore whatever it is they want to once they are adults. In fact, I think we would be there right next to them every step of the way.

FayeJ said...
Got my wash cloths today in the mail! Very well made. Thanks!

Thank you so much for your support. I passed this along to Julia. Also, thanks to all who have shown their support one way or another. It has blessed us.

Rachel E. said...
I got my package yesterday and LOVE the bibs and the scarf. Julia is so talented! I took a video of the baby I nanny for wearing the bib and will post it up on my blog soon.

I checked it out! How cute! So glad you like them.

Happy Campers said...
Just went and donated too...it wasn't much, but it was all I had left of my Christmas gift money. Definitely put to better use than buying another pair of Yoga pants. Thank you for sharing the link....

Thank you so much for helping Ashley to bring Grisha home! They are about done with their paperwork and should be traveling very soon. During a stressful and discouraging time, your gift was such an encouragement to her. You may have felt like it wasn't much, but I happen to know that it was just the right amount! God works miracles-- and without your donation she would have been short. Thanks!

Lynn said...
Hi! We live in Israel and adopted from Antoshka 7 years ago and were the family that got Andrea (now RR) interested in helping initially (for the sake of Daniel at Antoshka - see www.gdye.org).I read your blog daily and really enjoy it. I am not religious but believe in adding value to other lives and kindness. Having personally met 2 of the kids that subsequently died at T (after Antoshka) I can only say that whoever posted their snide comment has absolutely no idea of the reality of the situation in the orphanages (and I might add lacks humanity).We cannot adopt more kids but have contributed to several families who have adopted special needs kids - the time, love and lifelong commitment that families who adopt put in is so often overlooked.Aleksey (and Dennis) are blessed to have you and your family.

Lynn, your support is invaluable! Thanks for sharing about your son! It is awesome to meet families who have adopted years before us! Would you like me to take a picture of your son with us to show the director? I would love to!

Anonymous said... Stop begging for money from people. Some people earn it the hard way and don't put DONATE buttons all over their sites.

Your venom cannot break my spirit. I just wish for your own well being that you would stop being so nasty. If I were you, I would not be able to sleep at night knowing that I have been so mean and nasty for no reason at all. Why do you read and then go back and read what people have commented after you? Seriously, you are crying out for help--- is there anything I can do? Read the next two comments---- and maybe, just maybe you'll catch on. If not---- I'll see you next digest!

The Monroe 6 said...
I am one of those people that Christine was talking about. We adopted our 4th and last child from Russia last year. As for our family, we are done.But my desire to help other orphans has not gone away.My husband and I are lucky enough to be in the position to be able to help others. I feel a calling in fact to help others who want to adopt.It is a shame so many people feel jaded and negative about giving an orphan a home. I can think of no better way to spend my money.

Amy, you are an amazing example to me! I love your blog and I am so excited about your new house! Your heart and your willingness to give shines so bright! Thank you!

Laurel said... I think it's okay to go to Starbucks when it's a gift from someone ... as long as you don't ask everyone to give you gift cards for every occasion. :)God does see the sacrifices we make ... and I have complete faith with you, that the money will be there when needed.When we adopted 3 children from Ghana last year... we got a gift of $15,000 from an anonymous donor. Wow! God can do AMAZING things, in His time.Laurel mama of 13

Laurel, thank you for sharing this. What a huge blessing! I am so glad to hear that through the generosity of others three more orphaned children are now home!

Anonymous said...
Sweet pictures.Nosey Question: At what point do they tell Alexsey that he is going to come live with you.Given his physical condition are you expecting any mental delays or challenges?Feel free to answer only part or none of this - just wondering.Reader in TX

You're not nosey. You've asked some great questions. As I know it, children do not know that a family is coming for them until the family actually gets to the orphanage. I think this is done to protect them from getting hurt just in case the family doesn't show up.

As far as Alexsey's physical condition, I just don't think about it too often. I guess this is because I really don't see his Spina Bifida as a major thing. Through our other children, I have learned that life is just too short to dwell on the unknown. If or when things come up, we will deal with them day by day.

Kelly said...
OMG Christine,Those kids are adorable...all of them. To think there are orphanages filled with little kids like these just breaks my heart. I'll take 2. When we adopted Nick, we rarely saw any of the other kids. It is great you got to interact with all of them. They must have had fun!!

My plan is to bring a really big suitcase......

Payne's said...
That's it! She is saying Alosha!

Yes, that is what they call him there!

Amy said...
Hi Christine, I need to introduce myself... my husband Jake and I are adopting Pavel from Ukraine. You are one of the first families who's blog I read from RR (before we ever dreamed of adopting through RR) and were SUCH an inspiration. I still believe God used you (among others) to lead us to adopt through RR.So I just made the connection LAST night that you are the family adopting Alexsey!Just wanted to say congrats and thank you for following the Lord in both of these adoptions. Its an inspiration. :)

Hi Amy! Thank you for your kind words. I look forward to following your journey as do many other people I am sure! Personally, without the Lord to follow, I don't think I would be going down this path.

Annie said...
Yes! Christine - perhaps in this post, more than almost any other, you have hit on a common chord between us. I am always so surprised by people that set out to adopt their children as though to "save" them from their country. To save them from being parentless, yes - or from poverty, but not from their country! That is part of who they are!You also made me realize why I so enjoyed your last adoption blog. You two looked like you were on your second honeymoon! Craig and I were like that, too. I don't know that we've ever felt closer than on our adoption trips. Again, so many people want to stodgily say "It is not a vacation." And make a list of privations. Well....it is not like most vacations, that's true - it is far, far better. Rich, and deep and dense and powerful, joyous and beautiful and funny, too.

Funny how you compare our adoption journeys to a honeymoon. I hadn't thought of it that way, but now that you mention it, our journey to Ukraine was way better than our honeymoon. I am looking forward to falling in love all over again with my husband on our next trip.

Brenda said...
I also have a blog about a little boy I have from Haiti right now, if your interested in looking at it. He had 2 club feet and has been with us for about a year. We are his host family while he has been recovering from surgery. www.4yourglorylord.blogspot.com

Hi Brenda! Just passing your blog along so that a family may be found for this precious little boy!

Terri-Anne said...
Let me preface this by saying I hope I don't offend. Dennis' life must seem like a whirlwind to him at times. From being adopted into a huge loving family, from the orphanage, also a new culture, and the surgeries he's been through. Although the changes he's been through have all been positive things in his life, they still have a big impact on him. In college we did a sort of questionnaire on the "stress level" in our lives. Even wonderful events such as marriages, births of new children, and new jobs were considered stress-events as they impact so greatly on a life and take time to adjust to. The point I'm so poorly trying to get to is that Dennis has been through a LOT in the last year, and I'm worried that going back to the orphanage may be more than he should bear emotionally? Do you think his young memory will be jarred, about the orphanage being his former home? Will he understand that you are there to welcome another little fellow into your lives, or will he fear somewhere deep down that he will be left behind? He is very young to understand the nature of your trip. This might sound crazy to you, as he is very young and was even younger when he joined your family, and I'm really not trying to be inflammatory! I am just worried for Dennis's emotional well-being during the actual trip to bring Alexsey home. Have you considered what it may do to him to be back at the orphanage?

Hi Terri-Anne,
I am not offended at all by this comment. I think it poses a great question. I realize that going back to an orphanage can scare an adopted child, but I just don't see that happening. I know how I feel about all of my kids, and I know without a doubt that Dennis knows how much we love him and would never ever leave him------ ever! All of my kids know that. And we have talked about what it was like living in the orphanages and we have worked through the very few bad memories, and so I am not concerned with taking back any of my kids for a visit.

Besides, I know that Dennis was loved at his old orphanage, and frankly, I am more concerned with how Dennis would deal with us leaving him behind when we travel. Because he is so young and has been through so much in his short life, I think he needs to be with us. I also think that Alexsey will remember us and Dennis and will actually bond to us quicker seeing how well Dennis is taken care of. Alexsey is older and will hopefully understand with the help of a translator all that we want to tell him. I know that some worry that bringing Dennis will take time away from Alexsey--- but believe me---- spreading yourself between a couple of children is a piece of cake compared to spreading yourself among eleven of them-- yet we somehow manage that too!

With all that said----- I guess it is possible for Dennis to totally freak out when he sees the orphanage and Alexsey to start having tantrums anytime we turn our attention to Dennis. If that happens we will draw strength, wisdom, and understanding from our Lord and we will get through it. I am just not worried.

Sar said...
wow love this post, it's got me even more pumped up for my trip to Ukraine in 2 weeks time!!!!

I am so excited for you! I can't wait to follow you on your trip via your blog! Everyone go check out Sar's blog---- she is about to go on a mission trip to Ukraine to help out at an orphanage!