Nasko’s Art 2012-2013

Nasko’s final year of preschool is officially over!

Yesterday, his teacher sent home quite a few pictures and pieces of artwork that had been collected over the year.  I had also saved some art projects as they were sent home, so I have had a good time scanning the best ones and seeing how far Nasko has come in this area.

Since these masterpieces were already scanned into the computer, I thought, “I may as well share them with the world!”

So here’s a bit of Nasko’s artwork from the 2012-2013 school year:

Alien

Bubbles

Multi-media Collage

Frog

Giraffe (This is my favorite drawing to-date.  It’s from a couple weeks ago, before we went to the Bloomington Zoo for his class field trip.  If you look at the yellow crayon marks, you can see distinct legs, body, and long neck!  The brown and black crayon marks seem to be the giraffe’s spots.  The sad thing is, there were no giraffes at the Bloomington Zoo!)

Palm Penguin

Expressive Painting

Handprint Penguins (These cuties were made using the pinkie side of Nasko’s hand.)

Rainbow Fish

Self-Portrait (This is drawn on a thin piece of mirror.  Look closely for Nasko’s head, eyes, and ears in brown.  The black is his hair and the pink is his mouth.)

Handprint Turkey (He drew the eye, the wattle, and the legs.)

Nasko has come so far in being able to represent real-life in the form of art.  As someone who loves creativity and art, this Mama is proud!

Before Nasko came home, we prided ourselves on having a very clean refrigerator.  It was un-cluttered and always orderly.

Now, it is an art gallery, a play area, and an organization station… and we’d have it no other way!

Finally, here are Nasko’s first-day and last-day pictures from this school year.

(He looks miserable in his last-day photo because he was!  It was “beach day” but the temperature topped out at 65°.  When I told Nasko he had to wear his swimming suit, he kept saying, “No Mama!  Too cold!”  He ended up wearing sweat pants over his trunks to beach day!)

The Nursery

 

 

This baby boy is coming soon (we hope!) so I thought I’d upload a few pictures of the room we plan to bring him home to.

The room is decorated based on the popular children’s book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I have loved this book, and its author, since I was a child. Nasko has also developed a love of this book; he likes to quote, “He was STILL hungry!”

Here’s a virtual tour of the nursery (you are all invited over to see it in real-life, if you want. Ok, not YOU, creepy internet stalkers…):

We bought vinyl wall-clings to decorate the room and the door.

 

Come on in!

This shelf already has quite a few toys! Many of my toys that were previously used for work have been reorganized and moved into the nursery. (Another perk of quitting my job, I suppose!)

The blanket box contains some very beautiful homemade blankets and quilts which we are anxious to use!

My mom made this box cover (in addition to the crib bumpers, crib skirt, and pillows). Our dog, Allen, loves to lay on it and look out the window. For this reason, the cover is easily washable!

This wall has the crib on it! We’ll begin by using a family cradle (probably slept in by my great-grandfather Kincaid) in our bedroom, but eventually our baby boy will sleep in this crib.

This rocking chair is also a family heirloom. It originally belonged to my great-grandma Graham. It is possible that it was used to rock my grandmother as a child. When I was a baby, it was used by my mom and dad to rock me to sleep. Chance and I are excited to rock our baby to sleep in it as well!

The stuffed bear on the rocking chair is Chance and I’s gift to our baby boy. You may remember that I stressed out over buying Nasko a stuffed GUND bear when he came home last year. Nasko has played with his bear, Philbin, and grown somewhat attached to it. We’re planning to buy a GUND bear for each of our children – whether they join our family through biological means or through adoption.

This bear came from the GUND company with the name of Dijon, but because of my knowledge of speech development (the “J” sound is difficult for small children/delayed children to produce) we renamed him Dion! So world, meet Dion!

The final wall has the closet and dresser/changing table. The Reverend refinished this dresser and mirror about five years ago. The dresser was originally used in a dorm room at Blackburn College. Chance had to piece together two matching dressers to finish it. Nasko has one in his room as well.

This wall also has this cool thing… A bean bag filled with our stuffed animals! Pretty excited about this storage solution. I’m sure it’ll thrill our baby too. He’s bound to inherit Chance and I’s OCD tendencies, right?

Here’s a peek into the dresser drawers:

We have a good collection of cute “fluff” (otherwise known as cloth diapers) ready to go. I’m sure they won’t seem so cute once they’ve been used!

We also have two FULL drawers of clothes that should take us from newborn to three months of age! We have so many clothes. I hope he has time to wear them all before growing out of them!

Now that we have our nursery decorated and ready, we fully expect our son to make a dramatically late entrance into this world! He is the Reverend’s son, after all! He’s bound to be ornery and unpredictable…

 

Nasko’s Piano Recital

My son is a musical genius.  His talents were demonstrated at a piano recital in Springfield yesterday.

Ok, so he actually just plunked out a few notes that will someday become Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, but as the parent, I’m allowed to exaggerate his abilities, right?

He’s a musical genius.

Oh, and you have to see him bow.  Bowing is his FAVORITE part of his weekly piano lessons.  It’s pretty amazing.

When he bowed at recital, he became thrilled by the fact that everyone was clapping for him!  He actually joined in and clapped for himself!

We enrolled Nasko in the Latta Suzuki School of Music during the last week of February.  Our worship minister suggested trying Nasko on the Suzuki method, as it is based on listening to rhythms, sounds, and tones, rather than reading music.

Nasko has impeccable rhythm, and we thought this experience would be good for him.

The Reverend and I have NO rhythm, so we had to seek outside help…

When I first met his instructor (you’ll see her sweet self in the video) I panicked.  Nasko has a waaaay with older ladies.  He learned to manipulate them in the orphanage, and he continues to use these skills daily.

For example, a month ago when Nasko’s preschool class went to an assisted living center to sing some songs for the residents, Nasko hung around at the back of the line as all the classes were lining up to leave the building.  Just as it was his turn to exit and board the bus, he went running back to one of the sweet, older ladies, grabbed her hand, and laid a huge kiss on it.  Then he ran back to line like nothing ever happened.

Of course the entire room of residents swooned…

Another example is from church; Nasko literally does not know the names of the other children in his Sunday School class, but he seeks out Cec, Bonnie, Carol, Linda, Roberta, Shirley, and Mary every week.  He sees them, hugs them, and greets each one of them by name.

So you can imagine my fears when I saw that Ms. Bonnie Latta was a sweet, older lady; I thought our money and time would be wasted.

Thankfully, I was wrong!

Mrs. Latta has worked with multiple special needs kids and while she is very sweet, she is determined to make Nasko listen.  He really respects her and mostly does what she asks! You know, as much as Nasko does what anyone asks…

 

So, without further ado, here is my musical genius performing “Pre-Twinkle”:

 

The musical talent got progressively better, but I dare say it did not get much cuter!

We’re excited to see what God does with Nasko’s rhythmic abilities and maybe even someday, hear the entire tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star…

Until then, did you see that bow?!

 

Now What?

Right now, one of Nasko’s favorite questions to ask is, “Now what?”

Since the weather has turned a bit warmer, Nasko and I have started taking daily walks (me) and bike rides (him).  I spend most of our time reminding Nasko to stay on the road (and out of people’s yards and driveways), to watch where he’s going, and to be obedient when Mama asks him to turn around and head towards home.

When I am not reminding Nasko of the rules of bike rides, I spend time discussing our surroundings: the houses, the cars, and the landscaping choices made by the homeowners on the south side of Athens.

This year, before we even leave home, Nasko can tell me exactly what route he would like to take, based on the scenery we’ve seen in the past.

I know that when Nasko says, “Drive by it, little boy, green tractor” that we’ll be heading west out of our subdivision until we reach a house where a little boy is fortunate enough to have parents who bought him an amazing green John Deere tractor that can be pedaled.

I also know that “big puddles” is a local street that is graveled, but not paved.  This road has numerous potholes which hold water for days after the most recent rain.

Finally, I know when Nasko says “water” and then leans over and pretends to spit, that we will be heading north over a small creek.  (Now, mind you, I did not teach him to spit into the creek.  His dad taught him that.)

Many times, after we reach the goal location that Nasko had in mind, I will ask the question, “Now what?”  If it’s not time to head home for our next activity and the weather is still nice, I allow him the freedom of picking a new destination.

Because of my persistent asking, “Now what?”, Nasko has also started using the phrase.

For example, we may have multiple stops as we are running errands in Springfield, and after each one, Nasko asks, “Now what?”  He likes to know what is coming next, and he wants to be told what to expect.

I can’t say that I blame him…

In life, I always prefer to know what is coming next.  I don’t necessarily enjoy small surprises (like birthday parties or unexpected visitors) and I certainly don’t adapt well when big surprises are thrown my way (like being called to move to a new town or give up my job to stay home with our children).  These surprises and changes require time and preparation before I am feeling comfortable with them.  I want to know what is coming next and what to expect.  When I ask God, “Now what?” I would prefer to hear His plan in its entirety.  I want to know all the stops we are going to make along the journey of my life.

Especially as a mom, I’ve asked God, “Now what?” many times.  Through failed adoptions and multiple miscarriages, all I wanted was to know what was coming next and be told exactly what to expect.

Many times in desperation, I cried out, “Now what?!” to the Creator of the Universe.

I wanted to know the future.  I wanted to see the purpose of suffering.  I wanted to prepare myself for future heartache.

God doesn’t always reveal His future plans when we ask.  It’s not as simple as telling Nasko that we’re heading to Wal-mart, Aldi, County Market, and then home.

But we must remember, God has not asked us to partner with Him because we know the future.  He has asked us to trust in His purpose.

Proverbs 19:21 says, “You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.”

This verse teaches one thing to us: God’s plans will prevail.

Yes, I have many plans for my own life and that’s okay, but those plans really don’t matter because I want the Lord’s will to be done in my life.

We need to be people who submit to God even when we don’t know where we are going next or “Now what?”.

God is sovereign and His plans will be accomplished.

Baby Shower

 

 

On April 21st, our church family threw us a baby shower.  In case you were one of the few people NOT in attendance (we were blown away by how many of you came to love and support us!), I thought I’d share some pictures of the event.

[Thanks to my dad for taking the photos - it gave him something productive to do during the shower, I think!]

The photo on the invitation is actually our family’s new directory photo.  At the time it was taken, we knew we were pregnant, but we weren’t telling anyone yet!  So even the baby was pictured on the invite!  ;-)

 

The gift tables!

 

After the shower began, Lorna shared a short devotion on parenting.

 

 

Now, Lorna’s devotional was lovely, but it was no match for the spread of cakes!The cakes in the foreground were gluten-free.  Yup, my church family loves me (and the hungry baby inside of me!)

The gym was full of friends and family.  About half of the group was from our church, but the other half in attendance were people from previous ministries, members of our families, and friends (roommate from college, clients, etc.)  We are SO blessed to be supported and loved by these beautiful people!

While opening gifts, the Reverend offered commentary.  Considering he is still learning what some of the “tools” are for raising infants (breast pads come to mind…), his commentary was often comical! There were so many gifts, that we double-timed it as we opened presents… much to the alarm of my best friend Sarah who was recording the gifts and their givers!  At one point, Nasko even had some big-brother gifts to open… Three gifts at one time was a bit crazy!

Sarah did her best, but if you receive a thank you from me that thanks you for something you didn’t buy, just smile and nod… We meant well and we are thankful!After we finished opening presents, both Chance and I took a few moments to express our gratitude.  We are SO thankful, not just for the itty-bitty cutie wittle blue socks we received, but also for the prayers that have covered our sweet little boy since before we even knew he existed.

This is the table of opened presents!  How can something so little require so much stuff?!

My grandma was so thankful that she was feeling well enough to join the party that day.  Our baby boy has been quite the motivator for her to remain strong and healthy.

I think she mostly wants to know if his appearances will favor her side of the family…

 

[Photo credit: Nancy Dixon]

We had a GREAT day and a WONDERFUL shower.  Thanks to all who helped organize it.  Thanks to all who attended it.  And thanks to all who sent gifts despite being unable to attend it.

We love you – each and every one of you!

Now, if you’d all just come over and help open, organize, sort, and launder the gifts…

 

 

I am a QUITTER!

As of today, I am officially a quitter.

I quit my job.

For real.  Threw in the towel; I’m done!

The Reverend and I began discussing this possibility about three weeks ago.  I have worked as a Developmental Therapist for the State of IL Early Intervention program since January of 2009.  I was contracted through the state as a Developmental Therapist who worked with children ages 0-3 with delays (ex. physical, cognitive, speech, behavioral, etc.)

But not anymore!

Now, I am a full-time stay-at-home-mom!

I have been stressed, overwhelmed, and stretched too thin.  Too many things at home were falling through the cracks because I had too much on my plate.  (You know, just little things like paying the bills.  I was making the money to pay them, but hardly had time to write the checks and balance our budget!)

Also, I felt like Nasko’s delays had been neglected recently as I had started seeing more clients.

A couple weeks ago, I said to Chance, “I work hard to plan and execute educational activities with children who have special needs, but I feel as though I don’t have the time necessary for planning and executing similar activities with our own special needs child.”

So, watch out, Nasko.  Mama’s got lots for you to do this summer…

I absolutely LOVED my job.  I got paid (well) to play with babies – I mean, who wouldn’t love that?  I loved meeting new families and helping them do what is best for their children.  I LOVED seeing children progress to the point of not even requiring services when they started preschool at age 3.  I loved being a support system for parents (even when families would text me at 11:00 p.m. or 5:30 a.m.!) as I know that special needs parenting is very, very hard.

But now, I have my own child.  And another one is coming SOON!

At this time, it is best if I stay home and raise these two boys in a God-honoring way, to the best of my ability.  They need me.  There is no substitute for a child’s mama.  (Although, Chance tried.  He asked if he could be a stay-at-home dad.  I told him I’d allow it as soon as he learned to breastfeed.  Until then…)

And since I won’t be doing required report-writing anymore… I’ll possibly have more time to blog.  Luckily for all of you.

Actually, scratch that… I mentioned I would be breastfeeding, right?  I doubt I’ll have much free time…

 

Keeping it Elevated

Tonight was my first time really leaving the house (other than a few errands) since we found out I don’t have any blood clots.

On Wednesday, I ended up in Prompt Care and eventually Radiology because of my abnormally swollen left calf, ankle and foot. A Doppler (ultrasound) determined that I was free of clots and probably was just a dummy-head for over-doing life and walking too much in Chicago.

Ok, the ultrasound didn’t quite show ALL of that…

The doctor did suggest I try to rest a bit (despite the fact that I had Nasko with me in the appointment — did she realize how ridiculous she was?!) and elevate my foot as much as possible.

Chance took it upon himself to secretly conspire with my mother and have her practically move in with us for a week. He didn’t even tell me that she was coming until she was thirty minutes from our house!

My mother supported Chance’s demands that I sit on the couch with my ankle elevated for three days straight. Despite the fact that the doctor did not require a restricted bedrest, my mother and husband did.

And it doesn’t seem to matter how old I get, when my mother uses her I-mean-business tone, I typically do what she says.

Typically…

My swelling was practically nonexistent yesterday, so I determined that I had been miraculously healed. This was perfect timing since In His Hands Orphan Outreach was hosting their annual fundraising banquet tonight, and I wasn’t about to miss that.

As I got ready for the evening out, I donned my favorite resale-shop find to date — a pair of brown boots with a slight heel.

My mother took one look at the heel and (in her no-nonsense voice) said, “What do you think you are doing wearing those?!”

What followed was the response of a normally very active woman who has just been stuck on the couch for four days straight and who wants nothing more out of life than to look cute with a slight heel — “I’m wearing these so I can keep my ankle elevated, Mom! Just like you and Chance have asked me to do…”

I’m the best patient ever…

By the way, my ankle swelled tonight and I’m guessing it’s back to the couch for me again tomorrow. It was nice knowing you all…