Life With A Family: Give a Grandma

Life With A Family: Give a Grandma

Jody says it all better than I ever could. Please support us as we try to raise enough money to put two grandmas full time in 4 orphanages as soon as possible and to support a Christmas program this year which we are announcing shortly.

21 Months!!

Hard to believe that my little pumpkin is inching towards two years old already! He already looks like a little boy and not a baby. The time is flying by so fast and I don't know where it went. He's not gaining a ton of weight. I think he'll continue to be a slim but he is growing in height and in head circumference. He'll go in for his 21 month visit in the next week or so. He's still in 12 month clothes but they are getting shorter.

Meet our newest chocoholic

He's finally starting to use two words together. His vocabulary is really growing although it must be difficult for him since he was used to Russian, is learning English from me, and his father speaks to him mostly in Italian. On a sad note, our Lola is terminally ill and we have made a painful decision. We don't want her to continue to suffer and we've done everything we can to find an option to save her. Lorenzo is very fond of her and when she's been in the hospital, he runs around looking for her. When she falls down or looks really sick, he cries for her. What an empathetic little boy we have.

Life continues to be busy with Lorenzo, work, OAP, and a really sick dog. I still count my blessings every day even though life is a bit tough right now. I have a wonderful little boy who fills up my heart and had six great years with a beautiful soul and my first baby, Lola.

6 Months Home and 20 Months Old

I can't believe it's already been SIX months, can you?  I saw big changes at three months but the "big wow" is really at six months.  That's what everyone has told me.. and you were right.

He grows and reaches so many different milestones almost weekly.  Six months doesn't make up for first 14 months of his life nearly alone, but it makes a huge difference.

For those of you on your journey to your child, document it, get as many pictures as you can and then go back and read it all.  You'll be amazed at what you've been through already in journey and more amazed at the progress your little gem has made along the way.

  what a difference six months makes!

Let the Fundraising Begin!

Exciting News: Orphans at Play Store is Now Open!

Check out the new custom designed necklaces. These are perfect for showing your Russian adoption pride, bringing awareness to children in Russia and supporting Orphans at Play's Grandma Mentoring Program. Proceeds will directly be given to our Grandma program and helping the children of Vladivostok who are waiting for families.

Interact in play. Support Through Love. Increase growth and development.        

Simply put: Play. Love. Grow.         

New products will be released throughout the next few weeks. Need a special birthday gift? Thinking about the perfect present for a family coming home from Russia? Or a baby shower gift? A wonderful teacher? These special designs come with a ribbon tie necklace and a special note to say thank you for helping us give back.

We will be releasing the rest of the designs in the brochure throughout the week!

The Joys of a Boy

Been thinking about this for awhile now and wanted to share.  I always thought I would have a daughter.  I dreamed of a daughter.  Having a little girl was always part of my plan.  Little did I know that things would turn out differently.  I was never opposed to having a son.  It was just never top of mind.

When we registered and completed our paperwork, we said either.  Now, I know some families ended up getting a girl when they said either.  I kept asking myself what I'd do with a little boy.  I had no clue.

Fast forward a year later.  I can't imagine my life without this little cherub boy.  Now, I know what you do with a little boy.  You just love him.

If you have your heart set on a daughter you have to go with your gut.  It's such a personal decision.  If you are open, please consider a little boy.  There are so many little boys.  The girls get adopted first in alot of cases; even in Russia.  You'll be so glad you got a little boy and wonder why you ever thought twice about it.

Take it from someone who always dreamed of a daughter, there is no greater joy than a little boy too!

 my precious little boy is now 5 pounds up and 5 inches taller since March

Orphans at Play Helping Hands First Annual Winter Clothing Drive

The fresh scent of fall is soon to be in the air when children are in need of extra clothing for the upcoming cooler seasons. Volunteer needs are at an all time high, lend a helping hand and support Orphans at Play for their first Helping Hands Winter Jackets & Hats Clothing Drive. We are hoping to reach those who would like to help and those who are traveling soon to the Vladivostok region within the next month or two and can take an old piece of luggage full of clothes and supplies or simply save a little room when packing for a few jackets or hats.

We are looking for jackets for small children up to 16 years of age and winter hats of any kind to help keep these children warm. If you are traveling, we recommend the use of vacuum bags as they work very well in suitcases and saves plenty of room.
Contact the director Jody Garber of the Helping Hands project at Orphans At Play where we hope to have several volunteers from across the world to help us give back to Vladivostok and the children in need of warmth in the coming seasons.

19 Months Going on Toddler to the Max

Lorenzo is still growing by leaps and bounds.  Now he's officially up 4 inches and 6 pounds since we came home 5 months ago.  He's still not past 12 month clothes yet.  He seems to be getting taller but he's still a slim little guy.  He is now personality plus.  He's a non-stop activity machine from dawn to dusk. 

We're doing alot of sensory work with him.  He loves his mini bounce house/ball pit which was a bargain steal actually and is still extremely fond of his swing.  We've got him the swimming pool almost every day because he is love with water.  His grandparents taught him aqua but he prefers to say "apa."  When he sticks his hand in your glass of water with ice.. it's "apa." 

I can't believe we're having our first post placement report visit next week.  In one way it seems like we just got home and in another way it seems like we've been home forever. 

L at the splash pad with his "apa"

Summer is coming to an end and now I must return to work.  I'm starting back to work in two weeks which I'm not that happy about but at least I'll be working from home and G gets home from work around 2 pm most every day so he'll have his parents with him alot.  This will get us back on track to start our homestudy process again next year!  Yes, it's true... we're ready to go at it again.

We've got our fundraising almost ready to go for Orphans at Play, our website is on it's way (nearly done) and we've got a great group of families working together on this, special projects for orphanages, and developing our point of view on how we can move the needle on development and attachment of children through support of the grandma mentoring program.  More detailed update on my next blog post.