Pete says that we have to build a second bathroom before I can save for a laptop, so I'm doing some design research. I found this decorative toilet, and even though it won't fit with my design scheme, maybe it would fit with someone else's.
Too much fun and too many late nights resulted in too harried-looking moms. Our 8 kiddos are full of energy, though.
Jodi made it home safely last night, and is already planning a return trip - without the kids.
A buddy from college who has also adopted from Ukraine found this video and shared the link on her blog. It is a must-see and explains itself. Click HERE. There has been some discussion regarding the facts that are stated in the video regarding what happens to the children when they graduate at age 16. Some areas in Ukraine are much worse than others, but the government has recognized the problem and is working on it. It is still true that while the government is trying to put supports in place, many kids are graduating and ending up homeless, jobless, and forced to live lives of crime and prostitution.
Jo and I dragged all 8 kids to Philadelphia today to the Franklin Institute. The Tut Exhibit is in town, and since we just studied ancient Egypt in school this year, V and K have been very excited to go see the treasures from Tut's tomb. While we were waiting for our appointed time to enter the exhibit, we explored the rest of the Franklin Institute's science exhibits. It was a little crazy with all the school field trips going on, so we felt more like sheep herders than parents ready to experience science with their children. Thankfully, we had our trusty saints, Kelli and my brother Dan with us so we did manage to come home with all of our children.
Here's a picture of S enjoying the mirror maze. Most of the exhibits were not meant for little ones her age, but this one caught her attention.
These production numbers were in the early afternoon. Can you imagine how much chocolate goes out of there in a day? We took the kiddos (ours and our visiting friends) to the chocolate world factory tour today. Afterward, we learned some of the history of the town and factory through their 3D show. The kiddos were trying to act tough with their new shades.
Last night I was looking through V's adoption file. Specifically I was looking for the name of the hospital where he spent the first 21 months of his life. I was hoping maybe I could find a description or pictures of a typical children's hospital so I could understand better what conditions he may have been in. I found a couple of interesting articles describing maternity wards and problems of obstetrics in Ukraine, but haven't found much on the condition of children's hospitals. They did make for interesting reading anyway and gave me a glimpse of what his birthmom may have gone through. Some interesting tidbits were:
- As of 2005, "700,000 abortions were carried out annually, roughly 65-70 women of reproductive age per 1000, in comparison to 10 in Canada and 5.6 in the Netherlands." This was interesting to me because we were told that the birthmom had been pregnant twice before 's birth, but they could not find any records of those siblings. We were told that these pregnancies were aborted. I have always wondered what made her want to carry V to full term only to give him up after his birth. Did she really intend to keep him only to change her mind when she saw that he was born with club feet?
- "Soviet reproductive health practices continue to be followed which treat pregnancy as an illness rather than the beginning of a new stage of life . . . "
- Maternity wards lack even basic amenities such as heat and hot water. The doctors practice with their medical robes over their winter coats. A team investigating the conditions in one maternity ward writes, "While we walk with the head physician, nurses pass us, running newborns from the delivery room to the nursery to ensure that the infants do not freeze!" The delivery room in this particular maternity hospital in the middle of March was barely 63 degrees F and had no running water.
After all that rabbit trailing, I never did find any info on the children's hospital V was in, but I did find copies of the picture taken for his Ukrainian passport. He is adorable, but so, so sad. He had just been taken out of the orphanage, got to ride in a car, and now had to sit for a picture. Can you imagine the fear that he may have been experiencing? "What is going on? Am I leaving forever like those other kids who disappeared? Why aren't those nice people, Mama and Papa, taking me away? I thought I was supposed to leave with them. I like them because they have crackers and juice in their bag."
This kind of remembering is especially helpful for me after a frustrating day with the kiddos. V has survived so much. Remembering this helps me love him even more.
Today was the baby's birthday. Last year, she was born in the truck on the way to the hospital on the evening of Mother's Day. Yesterday, she had her first cake, and seemed to enjoy it. Today Grandma Shirley was officially allowed to give her sweets. (We had forbidden it until she turned one) :-)
Happy Birthday, Baby Doll!
We spent this past week working on portraits of each of the kids to update the grandmothers' picture frames. The owners of Rocky Acre Farm B&B gave us permission to come and take the portraits on their property. After 3 trips for picture taking, I finally got at least one good one of each of the kids. Here they are:
Here's the freebie kits I've found today:
Digital Divas Designs - huge pretty kit
Paper Moons - chocolate colored papers and related elements
Peppermint Creative - As usual, Miss Mint makes huge detailed kits each month
I'm going to stop looking for freebies and get to scrapping - got a quiet house for a few hours this afternoon!
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