Bye, Bye Sweet Girl

This picture cracks me up - Dave was trying to get the little ears on her hat to stand up and she is just so laid back, it's like she is saying "well, if it makes him happy"

See that foot - I got kicked a few times because she was laughing so hard and I loved it!!!

She is truly just a ball of FUN

Not at all easy to leave this beautiful girl that is for sure!!! I told her I would be back in 11 days to bring her home, we told her how much we love her and how it hurts to say good bye!!!  She just continued to chew on her little teether - and looked at us like "you do know I don't understand English, right?"  LOL!!! 

I Miss Her So Much Already!!!!!!! 

THANK GOD!!!!!!!

Today, December 30, 2010 I am so honored and elated to tell all of you that:

Miss Isabelle Maria Spitz

Is Our Forever Daughter

I am so super grateful  - I can't even believe that we were chosen for this ANGEL!!!!  Wow - GOD IS GOOD!!!!  I mean look at her - she is so full of LOVE and LIFE - how did we ever get so lucky????  Oh My - WE ARE BLESSED!!!!

Court went very well - we had a new judge and he was so sweet and kind.  He was also very, very thorough.  We were in court over an hour.  We were asked many questions by the judge, the prosecutor and the child inspector.   We were so lucky to have Luda as a translator today as that poor thing had to translate so much.  The prosecutor asked some serious questions, questions that I wasn't at all prepared for.  I don't think Luda expected these questions either.  The bottom line is we are the Proudest Parents of 6 of the BEST kids around and LIFE is SO GOOD!!!!!

So yes, this has all moved very quickly. Thanks to so many people - it is MIRACULOUS REALLY!!!  No one can believe some of the Amazing things that have happened for us here.  Just Blessing after Blessing!!!  We were told that I can come back January 11 - This is just so wonderful.  Leaving this Princess will be a little easier knowing that I will be back in just 10 days - Thank GOD AGAIN!!!!

Tonight will be our last visit with Isabelle before leaving to go home.  I just can NOT wait to see her and squeeze her as my new daughter.  WOW!!!!!  That poor baby is going to think this "Momma" lady is a complete lunatic.   We are going to see our DAUGHTER in 2 1/2 hours - yep, our daughter!!!  YIPPEE!!! 

Tomorrow we will leave our apartment (which I get to stay when I come back - again, Thank GOD) at 6:30AM and our driver will take us to the airport in this city.  Then we will fly to the big city here.  We will wait for about 5 hours and board a flight to London!!  We will have a few hours in London and then fly to Philadelphia where we will wait 8 hours until our next flight home.  We will be home Saturday at about 1:30!!  I can't even believe it - we will be home in 2 days - YAY!!!  Is this all even real????  This is just so crazy Awesome, how can it all be real????

Thank you ALL again for all the support - for real - we will be forever grateful.  Your comments on this blog kept me positive and I sooooooooo needed that from time to time.  I can only Pray that someday I will be able to support You too!!!!  Love You All and May GOD Bless each and every one of you as he has so Richly Blessed Me!!!! 

My Cup Runneth Over

Crazy Stuff - Love It!!!!

Just look at this crazy girl - Love it!!!!

She does this with no problem at all - she was just looking at me like "Hi Mom, can you do this?"

I told her "of course I can sweetie" - LOL



We decided for lunch today that we wanted eggs & bacon so we set out on a mission.  Here are the supplies:

Everyday when we walk to the orphanage we pass a man selling meat.  His car is parked and he has cut meats laying on a table and he weighs the meat in the trunk of his car  He does cover the meat with a towel some of the time - I think to keep the flies away.  This man is out there all day, every day.  Atleast 8 hours standing outside.   The first few times I saw this I was sure I would never ever buy meat this way - No Way!!!  Then I realized that this is how this man survives - who am I?????  Am I too good to by meat this way????  Ah NO, I am not - so today we did it.  Dave was pretty confident the meat on the left side of his table was bacon.  So that is what we went with.  This man was so nice, he even said "Thank You" in English when we were leaving.   We bought that whole slab you see up there for $4. 

Oh and the eggs come in that bag - no egg carton - I was sure they wouldn't make it home with out cracking - Wrong Again - they made it home just fine!!! 

So let's start cutting and cooking the bacon:

Dave says "Not sure this is bacon"

Summer says "It looks like Bacon, well kind of"

We bought a toaster today for the apartment so I started toasting.  I opened the butter, it was a little yellow so figured it was margarine.

Well I couldnt wait for the toaster to finish so I tried just a little - Nope not butter, not margarine - it's Cheese!!  A very nice spreadable cheese - LOL!!!

Thought I better open one just to make sure - Confirmed it is a Banana

Always have a back up plan

Ah ha - eggs, pork chops and toast with cheese spread - So YUM!!!!

We are having so much fun expirementing - we honestly want to try and do as much as we can!!!  This is a journey of a life time and we don't want to waste a second of it!!!

So tomorrow is court - am I  nervous??  Um - YES - so super nervous!!!!  And to know that tomorrow night will be our last visit with Isabelle - well it is heart wrenching.  So painful!!!  I can't even believe we are going to leave her here.  She will never be able to understand why the people that call them selves Mama and Papa don't visit anymore.  She will be confined to that darn crib again.  AAAAGGGGHHHHH!!!!!  I thought I had mentally prepared myself for this part - Not Even Close!!!! 

 Think Positive, Think Positive, Think Positive. 

You sweet, sweet Angel - You are too precious for words!!!  We Love You So Much Isabelle!!!!

Please GOD - I know I have asked for so much these last few weeks but please, please let us be successful in court tomorrow.  Please watch over our sweet girl until I can get back here.  Thank YOU for all YOU have done for us - Thank YOU for introducing us to this AMAZING precious gem!!!  Thank YOU for leading us on another MIRACULOUS journey to find our child!!!!   

Things I have learned about myself

1)  I am not nearly as tough as I thought I was
2)  I am spoiled
3)  I am so lucky our family has a car never mind 3 (counting Taylor's)
4)  I do not have to wash my clothes after being worn once
5)  I do NOT like walking by men with machine guns in the street ( I cried)
6)  I LOVE to walk
7)  I want to learn another language badly
8)  I want my children to experience everything
9)  I want to always help others no matter what the circumstance
10)  I Love trying new foods, even carrots on my hot dog - YUMMY!!!

Those are just some of the things I have learned in the last few days about myself.  It is overwhelming being in a foreign country!!  When we were walking down the street today and we saw 4 men in camoflauge holding AK-47's - well that was a wake up call.  I walked by them and just started crying - I couldn't even believe it.  I have never ever seen that type of gun before except in movies.  Well there they were - right there on the STREET!!!!  Are you kidding????  It took me awhile to shake it off!!  Then we stopped at a snack window - the lady was so nice - she understood that we wanted a hot dog.  Thank you GOD!!!  She grilled the hot dog and then pulled out a flour tortilla, she put cabbage, carrots, catsup (i think), horseradish (i think) and pickles.  She then put the grilled hot dog on the toritlla with all that other stuff and rolled it up - put it back on the grill.  Then she poured some sauce stuff on it (no idea) - it was soooooo Good!!!  And it only cost $1.12 - the food here is so inexspensive its crazy!!!

Our visit this morning was so AWESOME!!!  Isabelle was full of energy and she looked absolutely beautiful.  We brought donations to her groupa yesterday after shopping in a second hand store.  Well they must of thought the items we brought were just for her as she was wearing most of them.  LOL!!!  I don't know if I have mentioned how they layer clothes here.  Isabelle will have socks and then tights over the socks.  Pants and 2 to 3 shirts - and she has to wear a coat and hat even if we play inside.  She doesn't seem to mind one bit but sometimes it makes it difficult to get a good snuggle in.  So I will occasionaly slip off the coat - with out being caught of course!!  Everyone has been so nice to us at the orphanage - we have been so blessed.  And today one of the groupas put on a Christmas special - we got to see them in little costumes and we heard them singing.  We were not invited to watch and we knew we wouldn't be so that was fine.  It was just so nice to see them put so much work in to this program and the kids were so excited.  When they left the program they each had a little treat bag and Oh My were they excited!!!  It was the BEST!!!   Thank you God for letting us see this positive side!!!  I am so grateful!!!!!

Well here are some pictures of our little beauty - I just can't get over how much she is changing!!  I hope you can see it too!!!

Better each day....

We are fortunate to visit with Isabelle twice each day.  Each visit she gets stronger, more alert and more happy.  It seems crazy I know but it is so true.  The transformation is so unbelievable.  I wish we could capture on film what we see with our eyes.  This evening - is the first time she would look at me - lock her little eyes on me, take a moment or two and then BAM she would smile and dive in for a big tight hug.  I cry just writing this because it is just so AWESOME!!!  The truth is we thought Isabelle was probably developmentally about 6 months old.  Now we think 9 - 12 months!!  She can not walk yet but I know she will soon.  Her little legs are so skinny, no muscle - just bone and skin.  She will absolutely need support for her little ankles too!!  Then LOOK OUT cuz this baby is going to make up for some lost time.  She also showed us today that she has a bit of an attitude - Perfect, she will fit right in with the females of our house.  Dave was holding her and she would push his face to the side - don't have any idea why but she kept doing it.  Then he would turn back to face her and she would push it again.  So then he wouldn't let her push it and boy did she get mad.  She grunted so loud and made the funniest face of anger I have ever seen.  She is tough that is for sure and this Mom LOVES IT!!!!  Today was also the first day we went to pick her up and she wasn't in the crib.  Thank GOD!!!!  I really thought she was in that crib all of the time except when we visited!!!  

Jill, Debbie and Elijah left our little city today!!  We are so happy for them!!!!  But we do miss them bunches and bunches!!!  They are on the train now for 15 hours until they get to the city to finish all the paperwork to get that Beautiful boy home!!!!  Thank GOD!!!!!

My truth:  Going to the baby house is so HARD!!!  Seeing all the children with out a family is beyond heartbreaking.  I can NOT believe all the orphans in this one place.  I have read many blogs that state many of the same things.  The smell, the sounds and what we see here will never leave us!!  I know that I will be forever carrying a deep sadness for all of these ANGELS!!!  My heart has never been so broken!!!  It is not just the special needs children, it is the typical children too!!!  We watched a Grandma come visit her Grandson and she brought another child, we think his sister.  So why does that little girl get to go home and he doesn't.  The Grandma gave the little boy her phone and he was so excited and said "PAPA" - it killed me.  I was crying and just couldn't stop.  I can't stop now!!!  I can't understand it!!!   I know that I am not going to understand lots of things in life but this is BRUTAL!!!  And then when you look at the special needs children that will soon be turning 4 and we know that they will soon be tranferred.  They will not survive this next step - they can't walk so they will be left in a crib to DIE!!!  We know very well if Isabelle was transferred she would not SURVIVE - it is a FACT!!!  If our court date does not go as we pray and hope this could also be her fate.  This is unacceptable!!!!  Please, Please, Please pray for all of the orphans - pray that a forever family will come for each one.  Go to the Reece's Rainbow website and donate!!!  Please, we all need to do something!!!! 

Thanks so much for the continued support - we are so BLESSED!!!!!

This girl has a serious hand fetish

Look what she found - the string off my sweatshirt for a little chew time

She figured out being upside down is kinda fun

And even more fun making raspberries while upside down

Loving a little snug time with Daddy

Making more funny faces - she is so funny!!!  Love this girl so much!!!!!

Pictures, Pictures and More Pictures

Isabelle Loved Looking At Christina, Johanna (Prayer Warriors) and Shawn, Sarah and Zoya (Angels)

The above 2 pictures were taken yesterday - I love her expression in this one!!!  She means business!!

Isabelly (I like it too Bambi) just loves being tickled - it is the BEST Christmas Gift Ever to see and hear her laugh!!!

Just hanging out with her Papa

She can NOT get enough of the vibrating teether we brought for her - (Summer - make note to bring many back ups for the train and plane)

Just loving some more laughs and smiles

 

Yay - Big Girl Standing - Not sure who is prouder, Isabelle?  or Daddy?

LOVE

Great news today on Christmas day - Jill got a call from Yulia and they can pick up Elijah's passport on Monday - WOW!!!!  This means Monday will be Elijah's Gotcha Day - so Exciting!!!!  What a blessing it will be to see that beautiful little boy (and I mean boy - all boy) outside the baby house gates.   We will miss Jill, Debbie and Elijah desperately this is very true but we are so happy for all of them!!!  Keep them in your prayers please!!!  Thank you!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

Thank you Debbie for the Santa Hat and for taking our Christmas Picture!!!

Sweet Isabelle always has time for some HUGS!!!!

She is so interested in Daddy's chin and mouth - so cute!!!

Our little Princess wasn't feeling well this morning we don't think but she let me put a little bow in her hair.

Reading the book from one of our very good blogger friends - Thank You Laura!!!!!

Merry Christmas to All!!!! 

So Grateful for So Many things

We are so BLESSED!!!!

1) Having Jill (http://mygodislord.blogspot.com/) here with us, just up the street has been the biggest Blessing of all!  She arranged this apartment for us, which is absolutely perfect and less exspensive then the others that were available.  And the Landlord is so very sweet and so helpful!  Jill has showed us the bus route to the baby house and back - this saves us $28 a day to not have a driver.  She brought us to the market and showed us the ropes.  Jill helped us exchange money and has taught us essential Russian words.  I can't imagine how we would do it with out her - she has made our experience here very simple and very wonderful.  Most families traveling don't have this and I want her to know that we will be forever grateful.  It could be a very scary experience with out help - this is for sure.  And we have been able to enjoy every moment.  This city is very Beautiful and there is so much going on and so much to do!!!  Jill has a friend Debbie with her to help bring Sweet Elijah home.  Debbie is a wonderful lady and so eager to help too - she even gave us some home made candy - YUMMY!!!!  Thank you GOD for these two Angels!!!

2)  Thank you Yulia!!!!  We have a court date next Thursday at 10 AM - WOW!!!!!  Now this was so scary.  We were told that the court would not accept any submissions until January 17th - and a court date wouldn't be until February.  Ah yes, I was a tad bit nervous.  but Yulia worked some serious Magic and got us in by the end of the year.  Oh Thank You GOD!!!!  So the plan is to say goodbye to our sweet little girl Wednesday evening, court Thursday and hop a train after court.  We are praying HARD for golden rule travel to find us a flight out of EE on Friday.  PLEASE????  And then home by Sunday - we hope!!! WE PRAY!!!!

3)  Thank you to our Family!!!!  My sister and mother have done a wonderful job at home.  Everyone is doing so well.  We got to skype last night for the first time in 4 days.  It was so nice to see everyone and to hear all is going well.  We miss our family very much and we can NOT wait to be with them soon, very soon!!!  We are so proud of our 3 older children for stepping up and helping around the house!!!  We Love You guys so much - Thank you!!!!

4)  Thank GOD for the news on the vote!!!!  WOW,  this is a MIRACLE.  Please visit Jill's blog for the details.  The bottom line is it is the Best News EVER!!!!

5)  Thank you Isabelle - Thank you for being the Sweet and Strong Little Girl you are!!!!  Thank you for Loving us from the first moment we touched - Thank you for waiting for us to get here - I am so very sorry it took so long. Thank you for allowing us to Kiss you as much as we want!!!!  Thank you for being the BLESSING you are!!!!  We Love You!!!!

6)  Thank you Mother Nature - the weather is so Amazing!!!  It is the perfect temperature outside - we don't even need our coats.  Of course our princess is bundled up and that is just fine with us as she seems not to mind a bit.  Her little hat and scarf are so cute - the scarf is hand made with 2 little snow men hanging from it - I wish I had taken a picture.  Someone put some time in to this scarf!!! 

7)  Thank you - All of You!!!  Your prayers and constant support has helped us every step of this journey.  We are just so lucky - I honestly can't even believe any of this as it is just to good to be true!!!!  We will also be forever grateful to all of you!!!!  And those of you who have donated to our account - WOW - Thank you!!!!  We did run it to some money issues - and this will help so much - Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!  I hope we can be there for you someday!!!!