Sabrina update!

Sabrina has officially been home a year. WOW! Cannot imagine life without her! She is finally growing a little. She is about 24 pounds and 331/2 inches tall. She still mostly wears 18-24 month clothes. (Jake wore that size when he was less than a year old!) She is walking really well, but still with a little swing of the hips. The doctors think she will out grow this. Our big news was that Sabrina has latent tuberculosis. This means she has no symptoms and is not contagious but could one day develop TB so she has to take 9 months of antibiotics! She did have a chest x-ray to verify that the doctors didn't see anything suspicious. We joked with her that she was getting a picture of her boobies. Anything to distract her. She continues to have an amazing vocabulary and is adding 3 and 4 syllable words like comfortable, tomorrow, and together.

Surprises

Our wonderful friends, Christy and Eli, sent Sabrina this adorable dress for her birthday!

To make it extra fun it arrived on my birthday! Christy traveled to Ethiopia with

us. It is a crazy kind of bond that forms. Christy and Eli will always be very special to

our family. Thanks for the package!

I finally got a video of her walking to post. So, here she is walking!

Sabrina is 2!!

November 24, 2008

Sabrina is finally in our arms!

June 24, 2009

Sabrina turns two!!

She loves music and singing. We went kayaking in Minnesota and I think I sang "I caught myself a baby bumble bee" a couple hundred times. She kept saying "more".

She is walking pretty well now. I am trying to get a video to post. She is still very bowlegged and fairly tentative. She still will scoot or crawl if she thinks that is easier or more expedient.


Sabrina and Anna (adopted from Korea, Sept. 08)

She couldn't stop talking long enough for a picture. She loves to talk and has an incredible vocabulary. We really wanted a Barney cake but couldn't find one. And momma was not sure about making one. She has a Barney DVD that she loves to watch.

Sabrina has enriched our lives in amazing ways. I cannot imagine having missed out on knowing and loving this little girl. God's plans are so much better than ours. She is a ray of light all the time.

Sabrina,

I love you more than you will ever know.

Zeituna, thank you so much for this incredible

sacrifice and gift of allowing me to raise

this amazing little girl.

We will do everything in our power to raise her

to love Jesus and to keep her safe.

My heart is so full, words escape me.

much love,

mommy

Fun in the sun

Scott, Sabrina and I had a great time yesterday afternoon. Scott surprised me with some hanging baskets, five huge ones! So we hung those and some outdoor lights that I purchased in June 2006! So our deck looks ready for a party. We added sand to Sabrina's sandbox, her new favorite place. She loves it when we bury our feet and the sand was so dirty! She is still not walking more than a couple steps on her own. And that is only when we really encourage her. But she has a great time pushing things around, like the shopping cart that her therapist left for her.

One more week until my other princess turns 13! Where does the time go?

Two big jobs

We saw Dr. Sullivan in Iowa City for a check up. She says that we have two big assignments this month. Sabrina needs to gain weight and learn to walk, or at least strengthen her legs. I find it hard to believe, but Sabrina actually lost weight in the last five weeks. Less than a pound, but still a bummer. She has grown and is just about 30 inches. Her weight is still right about 19 pounds. We have decided to have a physical therapist give her an evaluation. We just want to make sure that we are doing everything we can to help her strengthen her legs. So, look for an update in about a month! We'll keep feeding that girl!

Three months!

I cannot believe we have had Sabrina home with us for three months! I mailed our first post placement report today. So nice to actually check something off the to-do list. I must admit I have been struggling a little the last few days. First, Scott was out of town (with Jake). Second, things are still pretty middle school angst with Noelle. No details, or I am sure she will never speak to me again, right Noelle? Third, I know there are much older moms of toddlers or supposed to be toddlers but...my 42 year old body gets really tired some days. I am not sure if it will be better or worse when she can walk. Speaking of which, I am pursuing physical therapy for Sabrina to make sure that we are doing all that we can to help increase the strength in her legs. I had a little pity party on Sunday thinking about the old days of being able to do what I wanted, when I wanted. Missing actually being able to complete a task without having to clean up another mess that happened while I was trying to do the first task. Then I thought how silly all these things were compared to that little girl and her amazing smile. Some days I wonder if she would make me more tired if she weren't so darn cute!!

Happy 20 months, Sabrina!

A little sunshine!

My parents spend about 8 weeks in Florida each winter. So I decided to take the girls (I love saying that!) for a quick visit. Unfortunately, the visit was delayed when our plane had mechanical problems and we had to spend the night in Moline, Illinois. So we arrived in Fort Meyers, Tuesday, just in time to see Air Force One and wait for our luggage because crews were not allowed to unload planes while the President was leaving the airport. We had a great time. Both of the girls loved the "bath", as Sabrina says. By the way, isn't the resemblance stunning?

Oh, so smart!

Probably because Scott, Noelle and I wear glasses everyday, Sabrina loves glasses. These are a pair of Build-A-Bear glasses that fit her perfectly! I can't believe how big her hands look in these pictures, they were sooo tiny when we picked her up.

I never updated her vital stats from our last checkup! She is still under 3%, but her weight is 19.o3 pounds and her height is 29.13 inches. She has a big whopping head, 25%! It's all those amazing brains.

New Teeth and New Bathrooms

Close up of the amazing tile



After they redid the trim I didn't want to cover it up so I made these cool window coverings. I haven't figured out how to make them stay. I tried a double stick clear tape and it didn't work. Any ideas? They are made from vellum and scrapbooking supplies.

So that's the new bathroom. It only took us almost a year. We bought the tile and wallpaper last February.

On to teeth. Sabrina has four teeth, two up and two down. She is currently getting in four molars. I am a little worried that due to her malnutrition she might be missing some teeth. Any one know if that is possible? At least she'll have something to chew with. And someone reminded me that she could always get dentures. That made me feel a lot better.

Yummy!

Who doesn't love mashed potatoes! Maybe I went a little overboard with pictures, but her expression was different in each one! Have a happy day!

It's been too long!

Gangsta Sabrina!

The girl is going to be a percussionist! We even got her bongos for Christmas. This was taken at the new Youth Pavilion here in town. Both of the girls love it there, so we have a pass.



Driving the bus with Noelle and cousin, Elizabeth. She loves the horn, she would fit right in
in Ethiopia!




Mom and Jake, Christmas morning

Opening our presents. Sabrina got a puzzle that makes musical instrument sounds, bongos and the noise maker you see in the photo. It probably sounds like we are really a musical family. Not so much...but Sabrina really loves music. She has wonderful rhythm,

much better than mine.

I can't believe that we have had Sabrina home over a month! In some ways it seems much longer, she is such a wonderful part of our family. Scott and I were talking last night. She is such a charmer. She has a wonderful sense of humor and a smile to match. What a wonderful blessing God has given us. I am not even sure what to type that can possibly describe the feelings that I have for her. It reminds me of when I was in the hospital after giving birth to Jake and Noelle. In the middle of the night, when it was quiet and it was just me and the baby. This overwhelming sense of... how can I possibly deserve this!! I guess I don't, but God in is amazing goodness has given where it is not deserved!

Christmas time is fun!

Santa gave us a coupon for Coldstone. Yummy!

Not so sure about this!


This is my new baby that Grandma Shirlee sent me. Honestly a coincidence that their clothes match perfectly.

Chillin' with Anna, who mommy says is going to be my best friend, and her daddy Matt.

Thanks Mike and Angie for having us over!

So, I have always loved Christmas. For all of the wonderful spiritual reasons, but also for the truly American Christmas lights, presents and Santa reasons. Suffice to say, it is at least double the fun having Sabrina here!! Ice cream, and presents and everything else through the eyes of a child for the first time...AWESOME!

What a privilege!

Playing with Jakey

She is so photogenic!

For us? Our neighbor had a luncheon to welcome Sabrina. The Christmas tree centerpiece was a gift for Sabrina and everything was pink! The platter in front is sandwiches with pink bread!

The day after I got home, chillin' with Jake and cousin Elizabeth.

It is such a privilege to parent each one of our children, but I do feel like we won the adoption lottery. Please no one take offense. Sabrina is just so amazing. I can not believe how she has adapted. She is unbelievably personable. She flirts with everyone. Her eyes are absolutely incredible and they speak volumes. At least 90% of the time she is happy. She loves to talk and interact. She is drawing our family together. We haven't eaten this many meals together in I don't know how long. Each one of us love to be with Sabrina, so I have no shortage of helpers!

We had our doctor's appointment last Friday. I was pleased to find an International Adoption specialist in Iowa City. We will be driving there for awhile. Poor Sabrina had six immunizations, a TB test, blood draw and urine bag. Yuck! And we were there for almost five hours before all was said and done. So far, we have discovered that she is anemic. Some of the test results are not back yet. Sabrina is less than 3% for height and weight, but 14% for head circumference. It's all those brains! Actually regarding malnutrition, the doctor said that weight goes first, then height and lastly head circumference. So the body naturally (by God's design) protects the brain.

Our computer has been down, that's why I've been so long between posts. Hopefully, I can keep up a little better now. We are so looking forward to the holidays. Our Christmas break started early, as the kids had a snow day today. Yeah! Our family photos are being taken on Tuesday evening, I can't wait.