Babywearing

When Malakai was born I had no idea what babywearing was but I did have the desire to hold my baby. I had an Over the Shoulder Baby Holder and a Baby Bjorn that were just so uncomfortable and awful that I hardly ever used them. At the time, I had no idea that there were other things available out there for wearing your baby that were much more beautiful, comfortable and versatile because you can't buy these kinds in regular stores(which is a shame). So, the majority of the time Kai sat in his "plastic parent" when we went anywhere because I also had Alana who was 13 months old and not walking and I couldn't figure out how to hold him and take care of her at the same time.

Fast forward to Judah and Isaiah coming home. I had done lots of research on attaching in adoption and knew that the best way to do this was to hold my kids, a lot. Isaiah was 4 and not so keen on being worn at all. He actually screamed when I would try to put him on my back in a Mei Tai but Judah was the opposite and just wouldn't let me put him down. It was a life saver for me, going from 3 to 5 kids, to wear Judah on my belly or back while I did things. He thrived there too and he and I bonded much quicker because of it. Judah was my realization that babywearing is a MUST if you have many small children. It frees your hands to hold others and do things that need to be done without leaving the child to cry or be upset(which isn't good with little one's who are new to your home and grieving). Children are comforted when they are close to their parents and it is the best way for a child who was adopted, and their parents, to bond. If you are adopting I would encourage you to invest in a good baby carrier and use it every day. If you have questions about them, let me know.

And here we are with Canaan. Without wearing him I would get very little done during the day. Not to mention the fact that it's important for him to be held so that we can bond with one another. At only 2 weeks old he knows my voice and scent and calms with just being close to something that smells like me or when I speak. Jonah made a comment that with Kai I wanted him to cry things out and learn how to "self-soothe" but Canaan gets picked up every time he cries. My parenting style has changed 180 degrees since then and I am so much happier with my parenting style now! I LOVE holding my babies, LOVE IT! The time they are small is such a short, short time in the whole scheme of things and I don't want to miss those sweet moments. I feel like I missed out on a lot with Alana and Malakai but with my subsequent babies I never will.

If you have little one's, hold them often and cherish this time. It goes by way to fast and, I promise, they will be better for you wearing them(and so will you!) I have learned a lot about baby wearing so if you are interested, let me know and I will give you all you ever wanted to know about styles of carriers out there and what I think are the best one's. :)

8 years

8 years ago I married the man of my dreams. Jonah and I met on October 5, 2001 when I travelled north with my parents to visit some friends. My dad invited Jonah to come stay at our house on the beach so that he could surf. No one thought he would call but 3 weeks later he did and then proceeded to come down for a few days. We went out to dinner, as friends, because the rest of my family had plans and it was my job to be the host for the evening since he was my parents guest. We sat in the restaurant for 2 1/2 hours talking about everything. That restaurant was where I learned Jonah wanted 11 kids and where I realized I could NOT let this man go. He was perfect for me and checked off every single thing I had on my "list". That night I hopped on my mom's bed and told her I was going to marry him.

On June 23, 2002 I walked down the aisle to marry the man God had intended for me and thus began the craziest ride of my life! I have never been so happy as I have been the last 8 years as our life together has unfolded before us. On that day, 8 years ago, I could not have dreamed I would be celebrating my 8th anniversary with 7 of my own children making a heck of a lot of noise in my tiny little house built by my man. I never could have known the hard path God had for us to take and the happiness, sadness, joy and grief we would experience to get here. God's plan was not anything I could have dreamed but I am so glad of this journey we are on together and look forward to seeing what's in store in the future.

Happy Anniversary to my amazing husband!

Nursing an adopted baby

Canaan on the day he was born wearing the hat "T" made for him.


Even though I nursed Kai and Justus and brought my milk in for Judah, this nursing experience with Canaan is far different. First off, I began preparing 2 months ago with pumping and herbs, which I have never done before. By the time Canaan got here I was already making plenty of milk and had saved a whole lot in the freezer. I have never been able to nurse without a supplementor full time before because I never prepared this early. I have now changed my opinion of waiting till baby comes. If you want to nurse an adopted baby, take the time to prepare if you can. As an adoptive mom, it is pure bliss to be able to feed my baby "the normal way" and not have to deal with annoying tubes, formula and toting along extra stuff when you go out. This is just another prayer request that God answered abundantly with this adoption. I am looking forward to a long nursing relationship with this little blessing and continue to pray that my supply will increase and multiply as Canaan needs it.

Canaan Robert is here!

And he is just perfect. 6 lbs. 8 oz. and 19 1/2 in. long, he was born at 5:33 am on the morning of June 12. We are blessedly exhausted and enjoying all SEVEN of our children. The kids LOVE their baby brother and are constantly asking to hold him. I am blessed beyond belief and feel overwhelmed by God's love and promise. BTW, the name Canaan means promise and Robert is to honor my Papa who I love dearly. More later when I can find some time.


An hour old.



One day old.



3 days old



All 7 kids together! Not the best picture, I know.

This may be it!

Yesterday both Sarah and Isaiah came to me saying that they thought "T" would go into labor that night. Hahaha, blow it off a bit, right? Then, I was up all night long with Justus and finally fell asleep at 4:15 am. on the couch with him nestled in my arm thinking, "this would be God's perfect timing to let "T" go into labor with me exhausted and without sleep. Maybe He's preparing me..."

So, at 6:25 am, imagine my surprise when I woke up to a text message saying, "I think your kids were right! I've been contracting all night, what should I do?"
I then told her to time them and asked some questions about things. Turns out they are 3-5 minutes apart and lasting for a minute to a minute and a half so I told her she needed to go in.

Right now we have all our stuff ready to go and we wait and wait and wait. We don't want to make the hour and 40 minute trip if this is a false alarm. So pray! Also, pray for Justus who has some nasty diarehha going on. Just our luck that I won't be here to take care of him when he needs me most:(

3 year gotcha day

Yesterday we celebrated 3 years since Isaiah and Judah were picked up from the orphanage. I thought I would re post what I posted 3 years ago about that day. Enjoy!


Alright, So June 5, the car finally came for us. There were 2 other families their but only one was picking up their kids and the other was just along for the ride. First, we went to the big kid orphanage. I started crying the moment we walked in. I tried so hard to hold back the tears but they were just flowing. All I could think about was that all the kids sitting before me were wishing so bad that it was their turn to go home and that today wasn't that day for all but 2 of them. They sang the most beautiful songs for us and boy can they dance! They were praising Jesus more than most adults do! I cried and cried. Patty pointed to the 2 little girls whose Ma was there for them and they went off to meet while we all got a tour. We were very impressed with the way they have things and how they run things.



Now it was our turn, back in the car and a short drive later and the gates open to let us into the baby orphanage. I was holding my breath and could hardly believe this day had finally come. When we drove through the gates Jonah saw that the boys were sitting on the porch with Melodie and stuck his head out the window. Isaiah saw him and oh! if I could have only had a video camera on him. His face beamed when he saw his Papa and his hand flew up to wave. By the time we got up to the porch though he was straight faced and seemed to not know what to do. So, did I cry? Not one drop. It all seemed so natural and good. There was sense of awe and completion but not the overwhelming happiness I thought I would feel. It just felt right. Does that make sense?




Isaiah had the photo album we made for him with him and clung to that for the next 2 days for dear life. He still flips through it over and over again pointing to people and asking their names. Now he knows almost all of them in there. Melodie told us that Judah had malaria, bummer, and gave us some medicine. He stayed really lethargic for the next few days and is still recovering. Judah had no problem going to either of us and took to me like a duck to water. Even that night at dinner when Melodie tried to hold him he didn't look to sure about leaving my arms and fussed a little. I felt sorry for Melodie cause he was her baby at the orphanage. We drove in the car and Isaiah was thrilled pointing to cars and trucks with a big smile on his face. He hadn't seen the outside of the orphanage for a long time so this was a big trip.




The next day we went to the embassy. We were late for our appointment because someone forgot to pick us up. Thank goodness Jonah called our contact 15 min. prior to ask about it. Hey, like we kept being told by the Shephard's kids, TIA, this is Africa. Still doesn't feel good to have THE appointment that will let you take your boys home and be late to it! Punctual Jonah was freaking out! hehehe. BY the way, the visa appointment is not that big of a deal. It DID take 2 hours and the boys were absolutely perfect the whole time. I was encouraged about the plane trip home.



Thursday and Friday we just hung out all day and was able to do a little shopping on Thursday but really just hung out with the boys. We really wanted to be able to go and see more but now I understand why parents don't really get to do much while they are there. AoH is VERY busy, they do not have enough cars and people and also it is not a good thing for parents to be parading their kids around Liberia as most of the people don't understand adoption and automatically think you stole a child. Be sensitive to this as AoH and adoptions is general are at stake with anything that happens in that country. It is so very delicate.

And Friday it was time to go home. We were very ready. Isaiah couldn't wait. While we were waiting for our car he would go to the window to look EVERY time a horn would honk nearby (they honk to be let in the gate) or he heard the gate open or close. We could not have asked for a better airplane ride. It went so smoothly until the last flight from DC to LA. That was a not so good flight. Judah cried, then proceeded to throw up ALL over me so that I smelt like vomit the rest of the flight. It was gross.



Some random things... When we got to Belgium and got off the plane it was early and so we went in search of a spot on the floor to lay the boys and us to sleep for our 7hour lay over. One thing I wasn't prepared for was the stares! People are so blatant! I honestly hadn't thought about it. I realized that adoption is such a wonderful thing because when I laid eyes on my boys that first day the only thing I saw were my sons, not the color of their skin. Walking through that airport I came to realize that that is the ONLY thing people see first when they look at my boys. They automatically know that my boys aren't really mine, or so people like to say. Well, they are my boys and have been from the moment I saw their pictures, color can't change that!


On the flight from Belgium into DC there was this really annoying stewardess. Actually she was just too nice and sweet and then on our way out she just made me stare in disbelief at the things people think are OK to say. While exiting the plane she told Isaiah that he will have to have Daddy take him to Disneyland and I told her we have annual passes. Then she pauses for a second and says (exact words), "You know I gonna buy my daughter one to. She doesn't know it, it's surprise. She can't have babies." At first I thought she was talking about a Disney pass until she made the last comment. I was in shock that she would say such a thing! Who thinks that is an appropriate comment to make AND that you just "buy" one and it's so simple. People just amaze me sometimes!


When we landed Isaiah pointed out the window and said, "I in America!" They have been playing that up for 6 months in the orphanage and he was so excited.
In the DC airport there was a man that had flown all the way from Liberia with us. He was way behind us in the customs line but kept looking at us with this BIG smile on his face. When we got through customs he came up to us and told us with tears in his eyes, "Thank you so much for taking care of our kids. They are so lucky, thank you, thank you." Then he turned to Isaiah and said in Liberian English, "Yo listen to yo Ma an Pa. Yo go school and be smart, learn." Isaiah nodded his head and then the man left. I will cherish that comment forever. It was so precious.
Finally we got home and fell into bed at about 11 PM and slept until 5 AM. Next time I will write about the kids all meeting each other for the first time.