Fun New Things With Our Peanut...Day 3

Today was a really fantastic day!  We started the day with stopping and getting some medicine for Ivan's Baby House.  The director also the doctor told our facilitator about medications they needed...very basic items.  We spent $130 and had a full bag of medicine.  They were so thankful when we gave it to them!

Our time spent with Ivan today was really wonderful.  We were able to spend time in his play area and see and talk to the other children in his groupa.  It was also really warm outside and so that time with him was really enjoyable as well.

While we are with Ivan each day, there is not a place to put him down and let him play.  Outside doesn't provide that opportunity and there is a room where we can take him to play but the floor is not very clean and he never goes outside, so we have tried to take advantage and not stay in that room.  Today when it was time to leave, we took him to his caregivers and they put him in his crib where they play.  We got pics and video.  But much to our surprise, he sat up!!!  And then he got on his hands and knees and started rocking!  We couldn't believe it!  It was the sweetest surprise!  We had tried to sit him up on a couch a couple of days ago, but he was unable.  I guess that in his environment where he was able to move around, he is more comfortable.  Regardless, we were thrilled to see him do that.  The child in the crib with him is Sasha.  Sweet little guy is much smaller than Ivan and not even 2 months younger.  He stayed on his back the whole time.   Our Ivan sort of tackled Sasha...he is going to fit right in with our crew:) 

We also got to meet some of the other children.  One little boy that has been listed with RR is another Ivan.  He has Apert Syndrome and I was so happy to see him in person.  His caregivers say he is so smart and we witnessed that.  The video will speak to that as you can see him trying to pick up both cars we gave him.  We know that he is available for adoption and I would love to see his family come for him.  And I have waited to share this amazing news.  Do you all remember Nikita!  We have been advocating for him with RR.  We haven't met him BECAUSE HE HAS A FAMILY!!!!  He was adopted months back by a couple in Spain and they say he is doing so well.  He is even riding a bike!  Potential!  They all have it...no matter what that means, it is there.  I am going to try and see if they money raised for Nikita since we became his "Warrior" can be transferred to the other Ivan.

The reality sinks in a little more every day.  While the baby house is about as good as it could get there, substandard obviously by American standards, Ivan's groupa doesn't go outside and there are only 2 caregivers, if that, for many children, all with special needs.  And the bigger reality is that once these precious children are 4 or 5, sometimes 3 years old, they are transferred to institutions, not orphanages like the other "healthy" children.  The institutions are nothing like the baby house.  Can you even imagine what that would be like for one of these children?  I told Derek today that if they aren't walking and feeding themselves by the time they are transferred, what will happen to them?  Confined to a crib indefinitely. Honestly, the truth of that existence for these children that are now very real to me, haunts me.  They are no longer photos on a computer screen.  They are people with little souls that laugh and smile and cry.  God created each one of them in His image and what will become of them is very real if no one comes for them.  It would be Ivan's reality if we had not said yes to God, no matter the cost.  I pray that the people of God will respond.  What in this life is more important than this?  That is the question Derek and I had to ask ourselves last December.  The answer for us was simple, nothing.  There is nothing that could be more important, no excuse or reason that would allow us to stand before the throne of our almighty Father and say, "Yes Lord, we knew and we did not respond."  Nothing.  These children are worthy.  They have potential and they need a chance. 

Here is our day with our precious little peanut.  Every day, he responds more and more to us.  I tell you that any fear or apprehension of what the future looks like with Ivan in our family is daily replaced with an indescribeable love and connection.  He is our son...meant to be a Kramer from the beginning of time.  I am so grateful that God gave us the courage to say yes to Him.  What we would have missed out on is something I don't want to imagine.  See for yourself...:):)

Thank you all for all of your support!  It means so much!!!

Time with our Snugglebug...Day 2

Our little pumpkin is one sweet little snuggler.  We enjoyed being outside with him for a bit today.  The other children in the other groupa (the small group that the children live and play with) were out playing and they sure did find a friend in Derek...no surprise there.  They also actually let us in to see where Ivan's groupa plays and sleeps.  We were really surprised by that! The other children in his groupa all have special needs.  We are holding off on posting pics like that just yet.  I also would love to post the precious photos of Derek playing with the other children.  But I think we will have to wait on that one too.  We are just trying to use wise discretion.

We found out today how we can be a blessing to the children at Ivan's baby house that may not be adopted.  The orphanage told us some things that they really need. It is ridiculous how expensive stuff is here considering people's wages.  We bought a box of 105 diapers today...OVER $50!!!  Yes I am not even kidding...ridiculous!  Do you know how many they use in a day?  As soon as we get home, I am going to start gathering for our next trip.  I am really hoping that we can take a huge amount of stuff back for all of these amazing children...most of whom will never find homes...especially those in Ivan's groupa.  What that does to me is hard to write.  Again, more on that later...processing a lot.

But I want to make something really clear.  We feel that Ivan is extremely fortunate.  I know that sounds crazy but his baby house has toys, a playground, food.  And we met his cargivers and you can tell they genuinely love and care for these children.  The director also seems to want the best for all of these children as well.  Culturally and socially, there is just no place for a child like Ivan.  It is very different here.  It is encouraged upon birth by the doctors to orphan these children because their potential is not understood.  It would be really easy to think people here are cruel and not just.  And I know in many places the conditions are NOT like Ivan's and there is much cruelty and neglect and abuse.  I can honestly say that is not the case for our son!  True, he has no family and true, he has so much unreached potential, but again we really feel that he has been cared for at the best level possible for where he was born.

And I will also reitereate...Ivan is in the BABY HOUSE!!!  Everything above that I stated is the exact opposite of what he would experience if he made it to 4 or 5 and no one came for him.  That is the very sad reality for many of the children in his groupa.  If no one comes, they WILL be institutionalized.  The children that cannot take care of themselves are already at a huge disadvantage and in an institution, there is no hope.  Those places are VERY different from where they are in the baby house!  The children without any special needs will go to orphanges, different from the institution.  All of the children need families, but children like Ivan have very little hope after transfer. 

I am so thankful that God has opened our eyes and pricked our hearts for these children!  I am so thankful that God lead us to Ivan, our son. I cannot imagine his sweet little soul in an institution.  I can't even fathom what will become of the children that we have to leave behind.  It is just too much...

I will leave you with some pics from our day.  Thank you for all of the comments.  We read them out loud to each other.  If has been the sweetest encouragement to our hearts.  God has used all of you greatly and we certainly feel every bit of that!!!  Here is more of our little love...

Looking into his Daddy's eyes...there is a lot of love there!

The green dots are something that they put on mosquito/bug bites.  I love Ivan's face here!

Looks like he must be saying, "what are you staring at?":)

Ivan LOVES this toy!  Our children helped pick it out for him.  I think it must feel good on his hands.  And btw...Derek is helping him sit up.  He cannot do that...yet:)

I am telling you....Ivan loves to cuddle.  He is so sweet.

We got some laughs today!

and LOTS of smiles!

Derek rubbed his skin and he loved it...especially his head being gently scrtached!

This is one of my very favorite pictures...tear up almost every time I see it. A beautiful picture of what it looks like to be protected by a father.  Ivan has really begun bonding with Derek and it is hard to put into words how sweet this has been!

And another favorite...signing the official papers stating that we have met Ivan and agree to his adoption.  The Director of Education was still asking our facilitator if we were absolutely sure, even after the papers were notarized.  YES...WE ARE SURE!!!!  HE IS OUR SON!!!  Pure joy to say that...can't wait until it is legal and final!

Today...

There are no words to explain what happened today.  We met our son.  God, in His infinite grace and wisdom, chose us as a family for the most precious little boy and after holding this perfect gift in our arms, we are humbled beyond words.

Today we are so grateful that we listened to the sweet voice of our Lord and stepped out in faith and obedience.  Today, we have absolutely fallen in love.  Today, the language was no barrier.  Today, Down Syndrome was the furthest concern from our mind.  Today, we met Ivan..."Vanya"

We think he is pretty adorable! 

 It seemed surreal to take this photo!

 What a handsome boy!

 I have 2 favorites of the afternoon and this is one of them...he was giving Derek a kiss!

 My other favorite...just no words!

 Blowing raspberries:)

 He is just so very sweet...

and quite a cuddlebug!

We are still processing a lot.  I will say that he is so sweet and we are just in love with him as if he has always been ours.  I have no doubt that he is going to be loved by so many.  He has just stolen our hearts.  We cannot wait for his sisters and brother to meet him!

We also got to ask lots of questions and got a lot of information today...still trying to absorb all of that and will maybe share more later.  We know that his heart will need to be checked when we bring him home. We also know that he seems fairly healthy.  He does not eat from a bottle.  His caregivers said he is very calm and loves to eat.  We were told he has received some therapy as well.  I cannot express how grateful we were to see him not extremely malnourished.  His birthday is Sep. 28...he will turn 2 and right now he is around 20 lbs...about the same size as Stella.  He cannot sit up yet and tomorrow we hope to be able to play more on the floor.  He loved playing with my hair and as you can see from the pics, he loved kissing his daddy:)

I will leave you with this video...I will tell you it is long but so very worth every second:)  There are some really sweet moments around the 5 and 7 minute marks.  We will leave our hotel at 9:30 in the morning to go and spend a couple of hours with him. 

Thank you for your prayers!!!  We can't even begin to tell you how God has heard them and answered!  Seriously you all...so many things that people were praying have been answered.  More on all of that later.  For now, we hope you enjoy "meeting" Ivan or "Vanya" as he has been called by his caregivers...

Quick Update!

Keep praying friends!

We went this morning with our WONDERFUL translator/facilitator to the Dep. of Education and signed the parpers requesting to meet Ivan.  We then went and had the papers notarized.  Then it was back to our hotel where we now wait as our facilitator translates some paperwork we brought with us and then heads back to the Dept. of Ed. to get the head person to sign and give us permission.  The Baby House director said that Ivan sleeps from noon until 3 and we should not disturb him then so.....

WE WILL MEET OUR SON IN JUST A FEW SHORT HOURS!!!!!!!!!

Oh how we have longed to say that!  We also found out some things more specific for Ivan this morning and we will share a bit on that later.  We will also get to review all of his information this afternoon. 

We just cannot wait to see our son....he has been placed in our hearts and family from the beginning of God's creation.  I am overflowing at the work of God's miraculous hand.  He is so good to us!  Why He chose me and Derek, I will never understand, but my heart is so thankful that it feels like it could explode.

I pray that we never get so comfortable in our day to day as followers of Christ that we fail to see all that He has planned for the body of Christ!  I have never been so convinced as I am right now how much the world needs to hear the Good News!  Praise God from whom all blessings flow.  Pray that someone will see the joy of the Lord upon us and that hearts will be changed.  Pray that today we will be able to share and teach who Christ is and that He came to save and redeem.  Pray that someone will see our love for Ivan and see it as the love the Father has for us...that while we were deemed unworthy, He loves us anyway, even to the point of death on the cross!  What a picture of our adoption into Christ.  Pray Church pray! 

More later!!!

Hello From....The "R" Country!!!

WE ARE HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can I just say that there have been days that we thought we would never be able to say that!  It was a long journey...door to door, over 30 hours.  It is currently 1pm in TN and 10pm here.  There is still daylight outside...so strange. We are really really tired and just thrilled to be here!  The travel went as well as possible. And so far, our translators/facilitators have been so kind and helpful.  We also sat with a gentleman on the plane (from R country:) that spoke English and it was truly a pleasure getting to know him.  He was very perplexed as to why we were doing what we were doing so it was the first of hopefully many opportunities to share the love of God!

First thing we want to say is a huge thank you.  You all prayed us here and you gave so tremendously!!!  There are so many many hands involved in the adoption of Ivan...a beautiful picture of the Gospel! 

I was reflecting on this passage today on the plane from I Tim. 6:17-19.  I am too tired to type it all out right now, but please check it out if you can.  The word generous is used in Paul's instruction and to the side in my Bible I had written, from a previous message given by one of our teaching pastors, that "generous living is  redemptive acts of kindness overflowing from a heart full of faith, hope, and love."  That is precisely what we have been surrounded by.  I just cannot tell you how what it means to us and how this journey has changed us.

To let you know, because you are all such a huge part of this, we did not raise everything we needed to pay our agency.  We did get great news that because we are a RR family, we get a $1K deduction of fees, which drops our final agency fees to $15,500.  We have raised a bit over $12K and will pay $10K of our fees tomorrow.  We need to keep some out for the cost of travel and fees in country.  When we return, we will evaluate what we have leftover from travel expenses and then pay more agency fees.  We are hoping to sell our CRV very quickly and that will help a great deal.  Anybody need a car?:)  We just wanted everyone to know where we were with all of that.  We are so grateful that our agency allowed us to pay part of our fees and still travel and for ALL of you!!!

We truly feel like this journey to our son is JUST beginning.  Those of you that have walked this path with us over the last 6 months may feel like it is near the end, but we have a long way to go.

Leaving our children yesterday (what day is it??) was so very hard...much harder than I had imagined.  I am not worried about them at all.  I guess just my attached mommy heart felt odd leaving my babies to go see our other.  It was gut-wrenching and heartbreaking and there is just no other way to put it.  I couldn't have prepared for it...I know that much.

Now about sweet little Ivan...

We are meeting our facilitator in the morning (Tues. @ 9am).  It will be Mon.Night/Tues. morning at 12am TN time.  We will be going to the Dept. of Education and then to a notary where we will take care of some paperwork and business and of course request to go meet Ivan.  I am assuming that could say no since we have to ask permission. PLEASE PRAY HARD that we get to see him tomorrow.  We are about 10-15 min from his baby house right now and that feels so surreal.  We trust that God's timing is perfect. Please pray that his little heart will be prepared to meet us and for smooth relations with everyone involved.  We will take pictures and video and post as soon as we are able so please check back often.

My Facebook is in R****an and so I cannot access that.  You can email or leave comments on the blog.  We will try to respond as we are able. 

More details to share about our travel so far later.  The city we are in seems to be very historic with many old beautiful buildings.  There is a really nice park right outside of our hotel.  The driving here is CRAZY!!!!  Oh.My.Word!  That's all I will say about that for now.  More on all that later.  We will have to let the pics speak for us as we are truly exhausted!  Love you all...keep praying!!!

International Flight

Hey guys... guest Blogger Austin Henderson here.

We just talked with Derek and Karen. They are in Atlanta and boarding the flight for Eastern Europe as I write. We saw them this morning before they left and everyone seemed to be in great spirits about the upcoming adventure, but they were also very nervous about being far away from their children for such a long time.

Pray for their nerves in the flight, pray for a fun and enjoyable week for their children here in the states, and pray that God would grant them a fun and memorable time together.

I am sure we will hear back from them soon - though I think the flight is at least 11 hours or so. Thanks for your prayers this whole week. We are asking that God grant them open doors and smiling faces at each turn they make.

Giveaway Ends Tomorrow!!!

Tomorrow is the end of the GIVEAWAYS!!!  

I hope you got in on it!  If not, lucky you, it doesn't end until tomorrow at 5pm!:):)

The bracelets that I shared in that same post are almost gone.  We have 40 and we are at 31!!!!  SO, if you wanted one, donate at least $10 and you can have one of the last 9 left!  They are so cool and really beautiful!

So where are we in process?  We have a little over $12k raised.  Isn't that just amazing?  I still can't believe it!  God has used so many of you to be a part of this journey.  I feel like every time I check email, I see another blog or tweet, or FB status that has do with Ivan.  And I am telling you it is humbling to see how God is using a little boy on the other side of the world to bring people closer to Him and to open people's eyes about the least of these in just one corner of the world. 

Derek and I are very ordinary people.  When people say how inspiring we are, it makes me giggle a little, (after I stop bawling my eyes out of course...I am slightly emotional right now!:)  because I know just how absolutely flawed and ordinary we are.  I wish I could convey how crazy this journey is for us.  I have said it over and over again...if you would have told me a year ago that we would be on this journey, I would have thought you were TOTALLY out of your mind!

I say all of that because I truly believe that many could say yes to God's call and believe that Ivan will open people's eyes to all of the potential that children just like him, laying in cribs day in and out have!  I do not think that every person should adopt.  Many would disagree with me on that, but I don't think we are all called to that.  I do however know that we are all called to do what we can to help those that are weak and cannot help themselves.  That includes lots of people.  We answered the call for Ivan.  I will never understand why God chose us to be his family...EVER!  But He did and we desire to be obedient. 

The important aspect of all of this is that we had to have ears that were open to hear, no matter what the cost.  And we had to be willing to step out in faith, no matter what that meant.  I am nervous about having 4 small children.  I am apprehensive about knowing how to fully care for Ivan.  I think about finances, our time, date nights, outings, our friends and community's acceptance of Ivan, time alone for me and Derek, one on one time with all of our kids, homeschooling...I mean seriously, I could and do think this decision to adopt to death!  Obedience is hard stuff. 

But at the end of the day, two very flawed and ordinary people said yes to God.  It was the most difficult and easiest decision that we have ever made...if that is even possible.  Without all of you, Ivan becoming a part of our family and ultimately all of our lives, would not happen.  I thank you for feeling that little nudge in your heart and responding!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! 

Giveaway winners announced tomorrow, at which time, we will only have 2 SLEEPS before getting on that plane!!!!  And don't forget to get in on one those cute cute bracelets!!!

               These crazy little monkeys sure are excited about their brother getting home soon!

 

6 Sleeps From Tonight...

do you know where we will be???  When we have something really fun and exciting coming up in our home, we count down by sleeps!  So, from tonight just 6 sleeps and we will be on a flight to Ivan's country!

I am full of so many emotions that it is hard to even put it in to words.  Please continue praying for us!  We obviously still have the giveaways going on and many preparations to make to leave our children for a week.  Lots to do and keep up with....all well worth the prize:)

I have never ever felt the consuming love of the Father by way of His people as I have during the beginnings of this journey.  This has been the hardest decision we have ever made and we have felt every bit of the weight of it...we have provoked the enemy a bit too, I might add.  I have said it over and over the last 6 months, BUT GOD!  He has called us to this and He will complete it. I can't see the details and I can't see the fullness of His handiwork yet, but I know my God to be faithful and sovereign!

Thank you...every single hand, every single dollar, the sweat, the tears shed for and with us, the sacrifice of time and money, the encouragement...all for one tiny little guy that has never known the love of a mom or dad, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, grandparents.  Ivan has known a crib and he has known caregivers.  Someday very soon, he will know the feel of hands that will linger as they hold his face and eyes that will look deep into his and he will hear the words I love you.  We will tell him how wonderfully and perfectly God made him. 

And none of that would ever happen without all of you!  Thank you for being on this journey with us and thank you for your sacrifice.  We can never ever repay all of you!  We love you, each and every one of you!  Thank you for loving our son as the Father loves us!  You are all part of Ivan's story!

We Have a Winner and More FUN STUFF!!!!

Bao Bao Bear found a home last night.  The randomly generated number was 37 and it belonged to Amanda Ward.  She has a new little one named Etta Claire that will love him very much!:)  Congrats Amanda!

Thanks to everyone that gave to that giveaway.  He was a special bear and we had waited to do that giveaway for a long time:) 

AND now for more good stuff!!!!!!!!!  Here we go!

This is a beautiful piece of art donated by Katie Schmeltzer.  She transforms things that others would throw away into these super cool decorative pieces. 

 These pieces usually value at $40-$50.

 This is one of a few handmade Ugandan beaded necklaces that I have remaining.  The McMurtry family, who brought home their little sweet pea from Uganda recently, donated these and they are beautiful!

 This is the other style/color that I have.

 And of course, this fun prize is still in the mix! (You can scroll down for all of the info on this camcorder).

And finally, if you give at least $5, this amazing momma that is adopting 2 of her own little cuties is giving these away.  They are beautiful and just so cool! 

  We leave in 7 days!!  Yes you read that right 7 days!!!  We need to raise a lot of money in those few days!  We currently are at around $8K and we need $16,500. for our first trip.  We could be totally freaked out by this, but we truly trust that somehow God will provide!

So in light of that, I am upping the anty a bit here:

 

***For every $10 that you donate, you will be entered one time in the drawing for one of the above prizes!

***If you share our blog on FB, your own blog, or Twitter, you will be entered once for each place that you share about our journey!

***Please be sure to tell me that you donated and how much and if you shared about Ivan!  If you do not email me, FB message me, or leave a blog comment then I may miss it!

***You can give on the Chip In on our blog or go to our RR account by clicking Ivan's pic on the right sidebar.  You can also do a check in the mail (and then no Paypal fees are taken out:)

***Winners announced this coming Friday June 17th!!!

Thank you doesn't do justice to the thankfulness we feel over so many of you that have given and prayed and encouraged....the list goes on and on.  We still have a long way to go before Ivan is home and we need your help.  We cannot do this alone.  I fully believe God made it this way for a reason!  We are ALL called to care for orphans and widows.  You may not be adopting, but you can pray and most of us can give!  Thank you to each one of you that is playing a part in Ivan's story!  Our son has no idea how much he is loved and I can't wait until we can look in his sweet face and tell him that his mommy and daddy have come!  You are making that a reality!!!!

Time to Step it Up!

Just wanted to shout this out......................

We leave in LESS than 2 weeks to meet our son!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Okay so besides having so much to do to prepare, and, yes I am getting a bit nervous, we still have lots of money to come up with to get us there.  Would you please pray that this happens...and FAST? 

We have another really cool giveaway to add to the camera.  And the little bear from a previous post will find his home this Friday:)

Check back tomorrow for another super awesome giveaway from one talented girl!

Humbled...

I have sat in the place of humility and awe of God over and over and over again after our family comitted to Ivan.  Today, I am there again.  Living in a state of constant need makes me realize my constant need of Him in my life. 

Today, many people gave.  Today I watched as people that I love dearly and people whom I have never met give. They gave in hopes that every cent would help bring Ivan home.  And then tonight...

Tonigh I get a message from someone I have never met.  I have seen her sweet baby's faces before...her family is bringing home 2 precious children from the "R" country....totaling over $54K!!!!  Yes you read that right!  She contacted me because of what is being offered to you below.  Below is the post from a beautiful Godly woman named Ann who acted because the Lord asked her to.  No hesitation.  She gave us this to offer as an incentive to increase funds so that Ivan can come home to us and to a community that will embrace and cherish him unconditionally.  So here it is...I sure hope you will donate and share this giveaway because this is one awesome gift!

Product Features

MiniDV camcorder with 22x optical zoom, 440x digital zoom, image stabilization

2.5-inch fold-out color LCD screen and color viewfinder

Super Night mode for low-light filming, Motion JPEG movie mode

Takes digital stills (1024 x 768) and stores them on included 8 MB Secure Digital memory card

Connects to PCs and Macs via Firewire (IEEE1394) and USB (for photos)
 

3 WAYs TO GET ENTERED!!!

So here is how you get your name in for this drawing. There are a few ways. ONE way is share this post on FB and let me know, TWO you can share our story on your blog about this give away with a link, and THREE every $5 donation gets you in for this "give away".
 
You MUST leave a comment telling me how much you gave and all the ways you shared about this "give away."
 
***The giveaway for the camera will end on Fri. June17 and the winner will be announced the next day (the day before we leave:)  Ann will mail it out to you the next week.***