July Journey - Part 2 - Camping in Maine

My Dad's entire family is in Maine.  My sister, brother, and I were all born there.  Some of my dad's family have been super supportive of Sara and her adoption.  So, a bunch of us loaded into my parents' RV and headed to Maine for a week.

Traveling is exhausting.  

Massachusetts.  Cut me some slack.  It was late!

Sick of traveling.

Listening to music with my dad while waiting for my sister to fly in.

Sara with my great aunt and uncle.  It made me realize how much she would have loved my grandfather.

Rob loves taking care of her and helping her out.  Unfortunately, she doesn't always want to be cared for.  She's kind of independent.

She loves her Tia!

Checking out the Atlantic Ocean.

The view from our campsite.

She loves her grandpa.

This was her favorite activity any time Janelle was in the loft.  I was convinced she was going to go through the windshield.  

My Aunt Kathy gave her this adorable purse.  She loves it!

We rode a train from Belfast to Waldo.  Sara and Rob loved it!  She even got brave enough to stand up for a while.  

And this is why I got NO sleep all week.

Belfast, ME

This is how we "camp."  In an air-conditioned RV with electricity.  

If Sara couldn't get an adult to share their phone, she played on the GPS like it was a phone.  Messed the settings all up.

My aunt hosted a picnic.  (I think it was actually my uncle's retirement party.)  Sara got to meet most of my cousins, aunts, and uncles all at once!  She charmed them all, of course.

Making S'mores with my cousin's daughter.

She refuses to sit in her little pink chair.  She finds the biggest chairs she can find and then men are all too charmed by her to kick her out.

Dragging my cousin around by his wallet chain.

Chilling with my cousin Jason.

In the ADORABLE sweater my aunt made her.  I can't wait for it to be cold enough for her to wear it.

Chatting with Aunt Kathy---one of her biggest fans and supporters.  Aunt Kathy has reposted so many pictures of Sara that she was recognized by a group of older men hanging out at a Dunkin Donuts in Belfast.  She's famous every where!  

She loved having big girls to play with.

My grandmother.  You have to sneak pictures of her because she won't pose.

Right in the middle of the action.

It's not a trip to Maine without some yummy seafood!

Newington, NH.  Did you know you can camp overnight in Walmart parking lots?

Breakfast with Tia and Nana.

There's something about Maine that always feels like going home.  It was so nice to see Sara accepted and loved by my extended family.  People I don't even know were excited to meet her.  This little girl has charmed her way into the hearts of many!  

July Journey - Part 1

Sara and I went on an EPIC road trip during July.  Three weeks.  8 states.  Thousands of miles.  Countless hours.

Our journey started on a Friday.  We left our house as soon as Sara got home from summer school.  I had the car strategically packed and incredibly full!

We stopped in Indy and had dinner with Tia Anna and her sister.  When we pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, Sara piped up with "Yummy!  Yummy!  Yummy!"  Apparently she was hungry.  (She now says that at every restaurant and gas station she sees.)

We went on from there to spend the weekend in Cincy with my friend Jamie.  I hadn't actually met Jamie in person but we had met in a Reece's Rainbow group and I knew we'd be instant friends.  We have spent many evenings messaging back and forth about behaviors and adoption.  She is one of the few people that I don't work with that actually understands my job.  She adopted her son the same time that I was adopting Sara and I was dying to meet him!

We had a great weekend of swimming, eating, the zoo, mommy shopping, chatting, and just relaxing.  

I had hoped to betroth Sara to Eli but she was definitely more interested in Thomas.

I love this kid!  Why wouldn't I want my daughter to marry him?

We left early on a Monday morning and stopped in Colombus for breakfast with my college roommate.  I'm bummed that we didn't get a picture together!  

Sara doesn't really like to eat in restaurants.  She prefers to eat in the car.  Even if it is chocolate chip pancakes.

Sara road trips like a champ.  She's even learning some life skills this summer.  

We spent about 24 hours in NY before embarking on Phase 2 of our trip to Maine in an RV.  Sara got her very first Slurpee from 7-11 while we were there.  She was NOT impressed.

Check back for Phase 2 pics soon.  

The Nelms Family

Meet the Nelms family.  The Nelms family looks a lot like the Keller family.  Right now it's Tiffany.  Soon it will be Tiffany and "Pepe."  I "met" Tiffany in an online adoption group.  We've had lots of chats about adopting and parenting as a single mother.   Tiffany is still working on getting her profile set up with Reece's Rainbow.  However she has a profile on Give Forward to help raise upfront costs.  

Here is what her Give Forward Profile  has to say about Pepe:

Pepe is a very sweet 6 year old boy with special needs. The adoptive family needs help to raise the money to get him home!!

Pepe is a 6 year old from South America with special needs. He has an adoptive family identified, but they need help raising the $24,000 it will cost to complete his adoption. Due to his special needs his adoption needs to be completed as soon as possible.

If you would like additional information about Pepe, you can read about him on Reeces Rainbow orphan ministry website.

Due to restrictions of the country, his photo and real name cannot be made public.

Here is what Pepe's Profile says on Reece's Rainbow:

Boy, born 2006

Mental delays, coming from an indigenous community.

 As of this little boy’s report evaluation when he was five years and nine months old, he was thriving in his foster home with a foster mom and other children in that home unrelated to him. Pepe has been in this foster home since December of 2011 when he had lesions characterized as a form of erythema. Pepe belonged to an indigenous community but was removed because of his physical condition so that he could be available for adoption. Because of his indigenous background, this little boy will likely not be adopted within his country and for this reason is available for adoption internationally.

Pepe had 7 biological siblings but has not had any contact or relationship with them. This child was diagnosed with moderate mental delays and his report describes that his facial features resemble that of Down Syndrome. He was placed in adoption because he was being severely neglected and was in a poor physical state regarding his lack of good nutrition.

Pepe’s report from just before he turned 6 shows that he was at a low height and weight for his age and had poor communication skills. He is reported to have difficulty learning as characterized by his low concentration/attention abilities, low language ability, low expressive and comprehensive communication skills and delays in kinesthetic movement. He is reported to be easily confused by questions and does not answer questions at the level of other children his age.

Nevertheless, Pepe’s picture shows a very happy and engaging face. He reportedly loves animals and plays well with children who are younger than him. He also enjoys watching TV and playing ball, along with other fun activities that require movement. While frustration and inability to communicate can influence him to become aggressive at times, in general, Pepe is reported to be a very affectionate, caring, warm and good-natured little boy.

It absolutely breaks my heart that coming from an indigenous community is listed as a special need.  Unfortunately, that is enough to prevent him from being chosen by a national family.  

Can we encourage this great young woman?  It takes a lot of courage to adopt and even more to adopt as a single mother.  Tiffany has taken an extra job to pay as much as she possibly can on her own.  Like most of us, she's not used to asking for help.  So, I'll ask for her!  Even if you can't make a donation, head over to her blog and leave an ENCOURAGING comment.  Adoption is hard.  It's exhausting.  Encouragement and support are crucial---even when they come from complete strangers.

If you love adoption blogs like I do, you can follow her journey  here.  (I'll post the link as soon as she gets it going!)  

If you feel led to donate to this amazing family, you can make a donation here.   

If you want to purchase a hand-knit item to help with adoption costs, you can do that on my Scarves and Skirts for Sara page.  (50% of the price of the item will go to the Nelms family.)

Can you find a way to support this mom who is working so hard to get her son home?  

Facebook Statuses--Part 2

I need to write a real post about our three week marathon vacation but I'm just too tired.  So, until then, here are some facebook statuses from the last week.  (In reverse chronological order.)

I just got a notification that I have to go to a hearing because my trash cans were out on the street too long. Seriously? Who cares! I know the police in this town have more important things to do.

Sara did not want to leave the house today. We have a really long errand list and she reminds me at every stop that this is not how she wanted to spend her day.

Picking out mom's clothes today. (It's clear I need some help in the style department.)

Gotta love a home made sign.

Longest prayer ever tonight. I think she just found another way to prolong bed time.

Anyone else think we should just go back to the days of arranged marriages?

She just sat at the counter and started praying. Guess I should get started on dinner.

Best purchase I've made in a long time. ‪#‎knotgenie‬ ‪#‎notearsthismorning‬

My plans to sleep alone did not go well.

I'm super excited to sleep in my bed alone tonight. I've shared a room/bed with Sara for the last three weeks. Now if I could just convince her to sleep in her own bed....

Home. Tired and a bit crabby.

100 more miles. Ugh.

Trying to figure out how to get home without driving for 10 hours tomorrow.

Maybe I shouldn't have laughed so hard when Sara wet on my dad's lap the other day. You know what they say about karma.

Still no car. They just called to say they hoped it would be ready in the next couple of days. I informed them it WOULD be ready by the weekend or they would have to figure out how to get it to Chicago. She then said it might be done tonight.

Big girl.

Our generation gets a bad rep but check out the grandmas at the park today.

We are going to my aunt's house for lunch. Sara apparently has additional plans.

Last I heard (a week ago), my car is supposed to be ready tomorrow. Now I have to decide when to make the dreaded drive back.

Sara now says "wove ya!" Melts my heart every time.

This is his I feel about it. Sara isn't extra special because she has an extra chromosome. She has Down syndrome but she's extra special because she's sweet and sassy and smart.

Poor baby has been asleep on the floor of my parents' very busy house for two hours. Summer has caught up with her for sure.

Rob to Sara: "I guess you can eat this in the living room. Your mom has different rules than our house."
Poor kid is so literal. He doesn't understand why Sara doesn't have all the rules he does. He chased her around this morning because she was touching the dirty part of the fly swatter. He's not supposed to touch that part. 
Now he's telling her that her crumbs are going to attract mice and her mom is afraid of mice. 
Our presence stresses him out a little.

Views like this make me contemplate moving back here.

Circle C Ranch. Some things don't change. 

My girl is growing up way to fast. She's grown up two years in the last six months. I brought home a frightened little toddler and I now have a confident little preschooler.

Super excited to visit Circle C tomorrow and visit with Ryan Howard Morgan. I can't believe it's been 20 years since my first summer working there. (I can't believe I'm old enough to say "it's been 20 years since...")

Sara's first canoe ride.

We went to a vow renewal reception today. Rob announced very loudly:
"Natalie! You should go out there! They want all the single ladies for something." 
Shhhhhh!!!!!!!!

Help! There's a munchkin asleep on my neck!

I'm convinced my child has the sharpest elbows in the world. Just ask my dad. 

Work is changing insurance providers. None of the specialists Sara has seen are covered. Lovely. Thanks a lot, Obama.

I promise.  I'll write a real update when I get out from under the three weeks of luggage and sleep deprivation.  

Meet Vaughn

How precious is this little boy with his hands in his pockets.  I'm impressed they got a boy that age to stand still to take a picture!  

Here is the description of him on his Reece's Rainbow page:

Boy, born January 2007

Down syndrome, otherwise reported to be healthy

What a handsome young fella!  I adore how he’s standing with his hands in his pockets.  Vaughn is already 6, and at a great age to join his forever family.  This is a great program with a wonderful agency partner.  Hope you will consider Vaughn as your son!

Not really a whole lot there.  It's one of the shorter descriptions that I've seen.  I'm sure the agency has more information on him.  He's such a cutie.  I can't believe he's still waiting.

If you've followed the blog and thought, I could do that or I want to do that or I'd like to help someone else do that, now is your chance.  

*Vaughn has $11,553.00in his grant currently.  This is a great start!  This will cover about a third of the final cost of his adoption.  (Vaughn has a great group of people working to increase his grant right now.)  If you'd like to help their effort and  make a tax-deductible donation to help his future family, you can do so here.

*If you order something during the month of August from my Scarves and Skirts for Sara page, you can choose for 50% of the sale price to go to Vaughn's grant.   (More detailed information about the Scarves and Skirts can be found on the blog.)

*If you are interested in adopting Vaughn, or another child with special needs, you can find out more at Reece's Rainbow New Family Info page.    The specific requirements to adopt Vaughn's country are:  (He is also in Latin America.) 

• Single heterosexual parents may adopt
• No family size restrictions
• Both parents must travel to the country and stay until completion of adoption — approx 5-7 weeks (one parent may leave after a week or two)
• Estimated total cost $21,000-24,500

Join me in praying that Vaughn will experience the love of a family while he is still young!