https://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?42312-title The largest classic literature discussion forum on the Internet. Read Write Teach Share. en Sat, 06 Jun 2026 04:29:43 GMT vBulletin 10 https://www.online-literature.com/forums/images/misc/rss.jpg https://www.online-literature.com/forums/blog.php?42312-title https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?11671-One-Year-Ago-Today Wed, 18 May 2011 10:50:43 GMT One year ago today my husband and I fell in love with a very special little boy. It is still so fresh in my mind. I remember being nervous and... One year ago today my husband and I fell in love with a very special little boy. It is still so fresh in my mind. I remember being nervous and excited all at the same time. The nurse bringing him into the room and placing him in my arms, our hearts just melted and we knew right away this was our son. It took us 3 long years but he was well worth the wait!!!.

They proceeded to tell us his medical history and his background of how he came to be at the Baby House. I cannot thank the birth mother enough for having the strength to give up this wonderful little boy so he can have a new start in life with a new mommy and daddy.

The weeks that we spent bonding with him were pure joy. As each day went by we would notice little things about his personality and how loved he was by the staff. I remember his first smile, his first laugh, the way he would try to crawl and most of all how interested he was in the people walking in and out of the room. We hated leaving him every day and the weekends were the worst since we couldn’t visit with him.

Matthew has been home with us for eight months and we couldn’t imagine life without him. He has brought so much joy and laughter into our lives and those around him. He truly has blessed our lives!!! ]]> pussnboots https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?11671-One-Year-Ago-Today https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?11537-Early-Intervention Mon, 21 Mar 2011 18:14:32 GMT We have decided to go ahead and see if Matthew really needs Early Intervention. Does this mean that we feel Matthew needs it? No, not necessarily... We have decided to go ahead and see if Matthew really needs Early Intervention. Does this mean that we feel Matthew needs it? No, not necessarily but we owe it to him to find out. Our pediatrician filed the paperwork for us and last week I met with someone.

The woman came to the house and walked me thru the process. The next step in the process is having Matthew evaluated. This will take place this Thursday in our home. I’m actually glad that they come to me so they can see him in his own environment. There will be 3 people coming (speech specialist, educational specialist and a physical therapist).

Now from what I understand a child has to have severe delays in order to be eligible for EI. We do not think he has severe delays but like I said we owe it to Matthew to find out. If it turns out these people feel he is delayed but not to the extent where he needs EI they can guide me to other places/people to help him. If they feel he is not delayed at all, well that’s even better. If he does need EI then the next step after the evaluation would be to set up a game plan to help him.

Throughout this process, we the parents are involved in every step along the way. All the meetings will take place in our home and the times will be what are good for us not the specialists (at least that’s what I was told).

Over this last week Matthew has started saying new words like thank you, good morning, tree and achoo. Granted he doesn’t pronounce them properly but it’s a start. He has started to visually recognize a car and bus and will say the words when he sees them. He definitely knows who mommy is because he’ll always point to our wedding picture that my mom has in her house and he’ll pick it up and say MAMA and give the picture a kiss. His attention span is broadening as well when it comes to watching children’s programs but we’re still working on story time.

So we’ll see what happens Thursday and take it from there. ]]> pussnboots https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?11537-Early-Intervention https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?11530-Matthew’s-Eye-Surgery Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:26:05 GMT As many of you know, Matthew has strabismus (crossed eyes) and his surgery to correct this is tomorrow. It will be done in the morning and should be... As many of you know, Matthew has strabismus (crossed eyes) and his surgery to correct this is tomorrow. It will be done in the morning and should be home later that day. We have to be at the hospital at 8:00 AM and the poor little guy can’t have anything to eat after midnight tonight and can’t have anything to drink after 6:00 AM the morning of the surgery. If I do give him something to drink it can only be water, pedialyte or apple juice.

The surgery itself usually takes 20 – 40 minutes. Matthew will be put under general anesthesia. We will be with him up until the operation. I have told Virgil that I will be the one to accompany Matthew into the operating room. The wait will be nerve wracking and I am sure Virgil will wear out the floor with his pacing back and forth. I on the other hand will probably keep looking at my watch every 5 minutes.

Once the surgery is over the surgeon (who is also Matthew’s ophthalmologist) will come out and tell us how the surgery went and then take us to see our little guy. We’ll stay with him until they tell us we can go home.

We have been told that it is possible that Matthew will need more than one surgery but we won’t know until the first surgery is completed and go for a follow up in 2 weeks.

I will try to post an update either tomorrow night or over the weekend. ]]> pussnboots https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?11530-Matthew’s-Eye-Surgery https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?11423-Follow-Up-to-Virgil’s-Last-Blog-on-Matthew Mon, 07 Feb 2011 12:34:02 GMT Initially I was going to do a follow-up blog from Virgil’s blog about Matthew and the pediatrician, then I changed my mind. Fifth and Jersea... Initially I was going to do a follow-up blog from Virgil’s blog about Matthew and the pediatrician, then I changed my mind. Fifth and Jersea convinced me to respond from my perspective. I do not mean to offend anyone with my comments (just want that to be clear) after all I am the one that spends most of the time with Matthew everyday (no offense Virgil) and I think I know him best.

Most of what Virgil stated is fairly accurate. At this point in time I am not too disturbed with what the doctor said, puzzled a little, yes, but not to the point where I think she is totally whacked. She happens to be a well known respected pediatrician in the international adoption field. She is also the only doctor in New York State that deals with International Adoption and that is the type of doctor we needed at the beginning. I should mention that Virgil is the one that wants to continue with her. I’d rather find someone where we live since it will be a lot closer.

Each child is a unique individual and to compare a child to another child is not fair. I realize this is done anyway but it does not make it right.

Language skills: it is true that Matthew really can’t vocalize what his needs are. That was what the doctor was really saying. In her mind Matthew is frustrated because he cannot tell Mommy and daddy what he wants. I told her how I go about figuring out what he needs. First I check his diaper, if it’s not his diaper I see if he is hungry or thirsty. If it’s not any of those I do a process of elimination of what I think it is that he may want/need. Usually it’s one of the three.

Matthew doesn’t say many words right now. As Virgil stated he can say mama, dada, baby, baba and bye bye. He knows some body parts and can follow commands very well. I am not too concerned at this point.

Tantrums: all depends on how you define a tantrum. Matthew doesn’t stomp his feet and scream but he can cry for a period of time if left in his crib or doesn’t get his way. The doctor said let him have his tantrums and believe me I do. I do not run to him as soon as he starts his crying or so called screaming. The majority of the times he’ll cry or scream when he is in his crib. Most times it because his pacifier fell out of his mouth and he can’t find it. Other times it’s because his diaper needs changing , he’s having a dream or he just wants out. Virgil doesn’t always see this side of Matthew which is not a knock against him but I’m with Matthew all day until he comes home from work .

Being too good: this comment from the doctor had me a little baffled. When she mentioned “Notice how he was just handed to me and he didn’t resist. I handled him in all sorts of ways, and he didn’t fight. First, that can be dangerous if some stranger lures him away.” I’ve known quite a few babies/toddlers in my time and some went to other people willingly and some did not. Matthew is a friendly child, he likes waving to people whether we are in a restaurant, grocery store or out and about. When he is a little bit older and can understand the concept, I’ll explain to him the dangers about people he doesn’t know. If the doctor thinks Matthew is too good, she should spend a day with me and she may think differently LOL.

Being passive: Let’s be clear that the doctor said “may risk developing into a passive person”. I don’t think that will be the case with Matthew. Is he picked up a lot ? Yes, by his father. I pick him up as well, but I do not carry him around as much as daddy. I try to explain to Virgil that if he constantly picks him up and carries him around, Matthew will expect him to do it all the time and he does expect this. It is my belief that he shouldn’t be picked up and carried all the time. Do we do things for Matthew ? Yes, but I am a believer in getting the child to learn how to do certain things on their own early in life. I want him to grow up to be an independent person and not have to rely on other people to get thru life. Obviously Matthew can’t change his own diaper or cook for himself as Virgil alluded to (Virgil’s shot at being sarcastic!!).

Exploring on his own/being frustrated: I let Matthew explore his surroundings since he is very inquisitive. When we are outside or in the car he points to all the trees, the buses and trucks. When we are inside the house I give him pretty much free reign in exploring while keeping my eyes and ears open. I would say Matthew gets frustrated when he is not allowed to do something, have something or complete a task. For example: my mother has a step leading from the dining room into her living room. For the longest time Matthew couldn’t figure out how to get down the step on his own and he would whine a little. He finally figured out that if he holds on to the chair that is by the step he can make it down on his own standing up.

I am still not sure what the doctor meant when she said Matthew is not in touch with his feelings. Contrary to what Virgil said I did not agree with that statement. I even joked about it on our way home.

Eating with a fork and spoon on his own: I know many toddlers at his age that did not eat on their own with a fork and spoon so I am not concerned about this. He can eat finger foods on his own but can get lazy at times and would prefer you to put it in his mouth. I do however have him try to feed himself every day. He just has a problem in getting the food on the fork or spoon. If I put the food on for him, he’ll get it into his mouth on his own. If we always do this for him, he will never want to learn to do it on his own because he knows daddy will at least do it for him.

While I guess it appeases Virgil’s mind to know that there is nothing wrong with how Matthew is doing based on other people’s comments, I on the other hand do not seek advice from outside the family circle. If I do seek advice I go to my mom who see’s Matthew almost on a daily basis and who has an open mind and will tell me if she thinks something is not right. As far as she is concerned Matthew is right where he should be. ]]> pussnboots https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?11423-Follow-Up-to-Virgil’s-Last-Blog-on-Matthew https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?11005-The-Great-Whiz Mon, 20 Sep 2010 00:33:04 GMT Before we put Matthew to bed every night, Daddy plays with him to tire him out some more. Well tonight something funny happened and am glad to... Before we put Matthew to bed every night, Daddy plays with him to tire him out some more. Well tonight something funny happened and am glad to announce that it didn't happen to me (at least not yet). Here's the background:

Daddy: I think he peed
Me: OK, just let me get his jammies and I'll change him

I put Matthew down and start taking off his diaper.

Me: OMG!! Matthew what did you do ?
Daddy: Did he pee ?
Me: He crapped and it's up by his waist and now he's starting to put his hand in it
Daddy: He needs a bath
Me: I know that but I have to get the tub ready for him and clean him up somewhat. Matthew stop touching your poop!!
Daddy: I'll finish cleaning him just get the tub ready.

Before I am even ready for Matthew, Mr Virgil has him in the bathroom stark naked standing on the vanity. With my back to them as I am getting the water ready I hear

Daddy: He just peed on my shirt
Me: What ?
Daddy : he just peed on my shirt

Just as I turn around to see what is going on, there's my son whizzing away on daddy and the bathroom floor :lol:

Oh yeah, life is good!!! ]]> pussnboots https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?11005-The-Great-Whiz https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10977-We-Made-It-Home-!! Sun, 12 Sep 2010 16:42:34 GMT Just a quick post to let everyone know that we arrived home yesterday safe and sound with Matthew. It was a long day yesterday with a few temper... Just a quick post to let everyone know that we arrived home yesterday safe and sound with Matthew.

It was a long day yesterday with a few temper tantrums along the way but he is napping peacefully right now in his new crib.

Mr. Virgil will be posting in his blog about our adventure in bringing Matthew home.

As for me, I am exhausted but I'm loving mommyhood!!!! ]]> pussnboots https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10977-We-Made-It-Home-!! https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10914-Passport-Visa-Flights-Oh-My!!! Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:48:17 GMT We're getting down to the finish line now and all the headaches and heartaches will soon be over. I received my new passport today so I can go and apply for our visas tomorrow. We will finalize our flights tomorrow as well and we should be off on Monday August 30th!!!

Some of you may have caught my previous blog entry (Prince and Rich) which I then deleted ( won't go into why) where I mentioned that we would be leaving Saturday August 28th.
The reason why we aren't leaving Saturday is because I messed up with my passport ( see Virgil I can admit when I screwed up). In order to apply for a visa your passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the time you need the visa. My passport was due to expire this December. I ended up having to pay a hefty price to get a new passport in 2 days but it was well worth it cause our little bundle of joy is going to come home !!.

So hopefully there will be no issues in getting the visas and they should be ready on Monday just in time for us to leave.

My mom is going with us since she didn't get there the first time we were there. We should be able to celebrate Matthew's first birthday as a family. I even bought some party hats that we can all wear, although not sure how long Matthew will keep it on his head!!.

His room is all finished and it's just waiting for him.

So I figure I have 7 days left before my world turns upside down but in a good way :smilewinkgrin: The days of everything being about me will now be about him. To be honest I am not looking forward to changing poopie diapers (especially real messy ones) so we'll have to see how soon I can start potty training :lol: As for the throw ups and boogers that grosses me out as well and at times it makes me want to :puke: but somehow I will manage to get past this stuff and if I can't I'll call someone for help :lol:

I am sure my other half will be posting something before we leave.

The next time I post something here I will be a mommy!!! ]]> pussnboots https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10914-Passport-Visa-Flights-Oh-My!!! https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10782-Matthew-Update Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:01:16 GMT Received an update today from our coordinator. Things are progressing smoothly. All paperwork has been submitted (birth certificate, adoption... Received an update today from our coordinator. Things are progressing smoothly. All paperwork has been submitted (birth certificate, adoption certificate, court decision) for the processing of his passport. Once our in country coordinator receives Matthew's passport, he can submit it to the consulate for registration in Astana.

One step closer to bringing our little guy home:hurray: ]]> pussnboots https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10782-Matthew-Update https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10380-Here-We-Come-Kazakhstan Wed, 12 May 2010 15:16:26 GMT It's 99.99% positive that we are leaving this Saturday. I applied for our visas yesterday and should be able to pick them up tomorrow. I will be confirming our flights today and doing some last minute paperwork today and tomorrow.

After enduring 3 years and 8 days of paperwork, delays, more paperwork, delays, updating of paperwork, more delays, our time has arrived.

Virg and I will be very busy these next few days tying up all loose ends. I'm sure he'll be on here just until its time for us to leave :nod:

I just want to thank everyone that has given us their support and hope you continue to hold us in your prayers until we are all home safe and sound.

Not sure how often I will be posting anything when we are there but I will let everyone know one way or the other how things go when we are there.

Till then :seeya:

PS: the temperature in Shymkent is currently 78 degrees F and the first week we are there should be in the mid 80's during the day and at night dip into the low 60's. ]]> pussnboots https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10380-Here-We-Come-Kazakhstan https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10339-I-Can-t-Believe-It Thu, 06 May 2010 18:09:46 GMT I've been feeling very down lately thinking that this adoption is never going to happen, afterall this month makes 3 years since we started our journey. I'm not even sure how I have managed to stay focused but you do what you have to do and keep moving.

It's been one week since we last spoke with our coordinator with no update until today that is. I was hesitant in opening the email but I sucked it in and opened it. I bet you all are wondering what the email said right ?

Well our LOI arrived today :party: That's right!!
We can now start applying for our Visas and hopefully leave by next weekend.

I can't believe it. My heart is beating so fast right now. Do I jump for joy, scream or cry ?

OMG, I have so much to do now. Find a place to board our dog, make sure we take enough money with us, make sure I have enough of my medications to take with me, arrange a call in with a pediatrician that deals with international adoptions, make sure I have everything on the travel list that we were given, etc

I'm speechless so all I can say is OMG!!!

Let's party :party::party: Round of drinks for everyone!!! ]]> pussnboots https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10339-I-Can-t-Believe-It https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10248-Pit-Bull-Attack Wed, 21 Apr 2010 17:59:47 GMT I just witnessed a little while ago a pit bull attack another dog and I am still shaking from seeing it. I had just come home from the store and... I just witnessed a little while ago a pit bull attack another dog and I am still shaking from seeing it.

I had just come home from the store and got out of my car and all of a sudden I heard this woman screaming. At first I thought she was screaming at a person but then I looked down the block and a pit bull had this womans dog in its mouth. At one point the pit bull had the dog up in the air. The woman was screaming and trying to get the pit bull off her dog but the pit would not let go.

I walked over to see if I could help and by that time the pits owner came over and pried its teeth open so the dog can get free. The pit bull had blood and hair hanging from its mouth. The woman whose dog was attacked was horrified and said to the owner of the pit "why did you have him outside without a leash". The woman replied he got out the front door.

We tried to convince the woman to report it to the police but she didn't want to. I said you really should get your dog to the vet. She said she wants the woman to pay for the vet bill. I said fine but you really should get your dog to the vet and report it to the police and animal control.

What gets me really mad is that the owner of the pit bull didn't even seem remorseful. Not once did I hear her say she was sorry!!

I have no idea what the owner of the dog who was attacked is going to do. All I can think of right now is that could have been me and my dog. I will no longer walk my dog on that block ever again!! ]]> pussnboots https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10248-Pit-Bull-Attack https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10246-Being-Held-Hostage Wed, 21 Apr 2010 15:26:37 GMT Just found out this morning that our revised Power of Attorney is being held hostage in Germany due to the volcano. :incazzato: which is why we... Just found out this morning that our revised Power of Attorney is being held hostage in Germany due to the volcano. :incazzato: which is why we haven't received our letter of Invitation To Travel yet

I sure hope that Fedex can get a plane in the air so our coordinator can get it by this Friday. I also found out that it generally takes a few days from the issuance of the LOI to get the cable to NYC. Once the cable is received we can apply for our visas which hopefully won't take too long and off we go!!

Now lets hope that this second volcano doesn't erupt or else I will :rage: ]]> pussnboots https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10246-Being-Held-Hostage https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10175-Change-of-Plans Thu, 08 Apr 2010 11:57:02 GMT As you all know by now Virgil and I received word on 3/25 that there were 2 boys available in Astana for adoption. We told our coordinator that we... As you all know by now Virgil and I received word on 3/25 that there were 2 boys available in Astana for adoption. We told our coordinator that we can get there around 4/17. Up until yesterday we had not heard anything else from our contact and we were starting to get worried. (Virgil more than me) From 3/26 till yesterday when the Mr. would come home from work the conversation went like this:
Virgil: any word ?
Me: No
Virgil: this is ridiculous
Me: what would you like me to do ?
Virgil: call our contact
Me: if she had news, she would call
Virgil: Maybe we should call her
Me: then you pick up the phone and call her
Virgil: OK, I will

So he called her yesterday morning and she had no news. I have to admit that even I was getting somewhat nervous. I was convinced something was going on.

Later in the day I received an email. We are not going to Astana and the 2 boys that were available are no longer. I won't go into details since it's a mute point. Instead our paperwork has been assigned to the Shymkent region of Kazakhstan. This is south of where we were going to go. It's the capital of South Kazakhstan and the largest city in the South. The population is around half a million.

I then called our coordinator to speak with her. She wanted to know how I felt and I said as long as we are still leaving this month and I'm glad we found this out now rather than getting there and then being told abt this latest development. This only sets us a week behind our initial plans so it is not that bad. At least it gives us an extra week to get the balance of things we need to do finalized. Now I can make arrangements for our dog, get money from the bank, shop for gifts that we need to bring for the officials and such.

The only thing we don't know is what child is available, boy or girl but still feel it will be a boy.

Remember all that dreaded paperwork we had to do ? Well, we have to redo just one letter.:arf: We went to the bank last night to get it notarized and Virg will send it to our coordinator this morning. I still have to get it Authenticated from the County Clerks office and then Apostilled by the State. Thank God it's only one piece of paperwork but I'm a pro by now :D

Next week we should be able to finalize our flights and apply for our Visas and we should be ready to go.

That's it for now

Paka :wave: ]]> pussnboots https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10175-Change-of-Plans https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10114-Leaving-On-A-Jet-Plane Fri, 26 Mar 2010 02:56:43 GMT Guess who may be leaving on a jet plane in roughly 3 weeks!!!! :hurray::hurray: Yup, we received the phone call today. It came as a total surprise... Guess who may be leaving on a jet plane in roughly 3 weeks!!!! :hurray::hurray: Yup, we received the phone call today. It came as a total surprise because as of last week we were told our paperwork hasn't been assigned a region yet and that it appears that things are supposedly slowing down in Kazakhstan.

We actually got the message while we were waiting to have our taxes done. I was in total shock and actually somewhat speechless. I was not expecting this phone call at all.

We were told that there are 2 boys available. One boy is between 8 - 10 months old and the other is 16 months old. Our coordinator wanted to know how soon we can get there. since this came as a complete shock, we told her we will call her back in the morning.

I can't believe the day has finally come. We have soooo many things to do before we leave. Right now I am on such a high I don't think I will sleep tonight.

I will post more once things get ironed out. Oh did I mention that we also lucked out by being assigned a region that is a major city and won't be sent to the boonies. ]]> pussnboots https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?10114-Leaving-On-A-Jet-Plane https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?9907-In-Case-Anyone-is-Wondering-Adoption-Homefront Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:26:38 GMT It's been 2 months since I last blogged about our adoption journey and unfortunately I have nothing new to report concerning us.

What I can share is some news about another couple that is there now. I will not share everything because I don't think it is right for me to talk about another couple's journey. What I can say is that they have been there for 2 months now and they still do not have a court date yet :svengo: At least they are able to spend time with their son. He is definitely a cutie!!.

So the days go by one after another and I keep wondering is today the day we find out what region we go to.

My dear sweet loveable husband has yet to finish the nursery. All we're talking about is putting up the molding around the closet, installing the closet doors and putting down molding around the floor. Maybe I'll just have to do it once and for all !!!!

Next month I'll be going into my 34th month of pregnancy LOL. I sure hope by the summer it will be over.

Till next time ]]> pussnboots https://www.online-literature.com/forums/entry.php?9907-In-Case-Anyone-is-Wondering-Adoption-Homefront