Holy moly where does the time go? I swear it was just new years and now it is October. Yesterday paper work was filed with the court to adopt Sarah, which means within 60 day her adoption will be final! Whew! The past 4 months have been a very bumpy road for us. Lots of meltdowns, feeling left out, learning and learning some more, lots of time outs and discoveries.
We have learned:
1. Sarah spent the first month and a half throwing up 1-2 times a week. Due the the pink vomit and the fact that she was completely fine afterwards, I started searching online for a possible cause and found that one of the things that could cause that is Red dye, so we did an experiment and eliminated red dye from Sarah's diet, immediately we started seeing a change, no more upset tummy and a slight change in behavior. Success! Except that now I have to explain to a 4 year old that she can't have anything with red dye in it. We have to explain that ketchup and Spaghetti are red naturally so she can have them still but that things like Doritos and red slushees are a no go. I have never had a kid with allergies so learning to read labels and shop alternatively is a new experience, but we are learning.
2. A decision to adopt a additional child is one that effects the whole family, every one of our kids have struggled and continue to struggle with this. They love Sarah, but Sarah is extremely active which makes her "annoying" to them. When she is bored I watch her as she will go from child to child bugging them until they scream or hit, which kid to punish? Usually all parties get punished, because I am so frustrated by that point.
3. L-Theanine is my best friend! When I have Sarah on it she is much easier to deal with, and way less anxious. L-theanin is an amino acid, primarily found in green tea. It helps calm nerves and is generally used for adults with anxiety. We began breaking tablets open in water (it's tasteless) But now I have found a chewable form and I am so excited about it!
4. I never thought I'd be using words like Bio-mom, or home study. But these terms are pretty common around here. We recently wrote a letter to Sarah's bio dad in jail and his response was awesome. He is so glad that Sarah is with us and happy. He was grateful for pictures and to know who is adopting her.
There have been many members of the family who have reached out to us via calls or emails, just to give us support but no one has been my rock as much as my sister Becca, I don't know what I would do with out her. She didn't just jump in at the beginning when everything was new and "fun" she has been here through the fun parts and through my breakdowns of wondering if and how I can do this.
I love Sarah with all my heart, but she is a very hyperactive kid, with no attention span and MANY bad habbits. I have been able to vent or bounce ideas off Becca and she is always there texting or calling asking what she can do. Everyone should have someone like Becca cheering you on and reminding you that you can do it. Both my mom and my Mother in Law have been a great support as well. What would we do without family?
Also the week before last we got a chance to take a break from our lives and focus on helping our kids know that they are all loved and wanted and all important in our lives. While there has been much judgement going on with us going, getting to use grandma's time share and with our taking my mother in law with us. I feel that we deserve it just as much as anyone else and I won't feel guilty about it anymore! My mother in law had joked about how she wanted to stow away in our luggage and come with us, we told her we would have an extra space in the car if she wanted to come, and she did. Her mom lives out there and it was a great opportunity for them to spend some time together.
For our vacation (since it was on a budget) we spent a lot of time at the beach, and pool. But we did go see an ocean life museum, and wild life sancuary. We also got the chance to see the space shuttle Endeavor fly over Anaheim. We went to parks and played at the play ground and just spent time being a family. It was amazing and I wouldn't change it for a moment.
On to the pics!
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