Jesus Loves Me!

Hunting eggs

Hope in her first Easter dress

Precious in pig tails

Hope enjoyed celebrating her first Easter. She was very curious about dyeing eggs, but enjoyed every minute. She really loved putting stickers on one particular egg, but hunting for eggs was her favorite. She immediately got the hang of it and placed them gently in her basket. The highlight of her Easter was spending it with her cousin, Matthew (Hope says Mashew). She adores him!

I couldn’t help but remember last Easter. We left for our first trip to Moldova immediately after the morning church service. I had such a hard time leaving Dow and Beth. When I think back, I can hardly believe we made not only that trip but the second which brought even more difficulties.

It is so true that when the Lord gives us a task, He provides all that we need. There is no way we could have even made the first step to adopt without His strength much less have faced all that was ahead of us. If you sense the Lord calling you to do a certain job, task or assignment , but feel that you just can’t do it, you are correct. You can’t do His work on your own and have the results that He desires. However, you can do anything according to His will through His strength and power.

Hope has really started to sing songs like the ABC song and Barney song. However, today we heard her singing “Jesus Loves Me.” That was really music to our ears!!! She is also counting to 10 and knows all of her colors. Her eating has even picked up a little. She is loving these beautiful days and playing outside. We have never been more convinced of how important a family is to the growth and health of a child. She i

I Suv You!

Beth and Hope in the snow

Snow Angel!

Hope's first beach trip

Hope has had many adventures since our last posting. She had RSV and fluid on her left lung in January but recovered quickly. The five of us went snow skiing in February to Park City, Utah. While Hope was too young for ski school, she enjoyed making her first snow man. She spent a weekend with her Daddy and big brother in March while I chaperoned Beth and some friends for Honor Choir weekend. We purchased our first trampoline which Hope loves to jump on with Beth. In fact, we make sure we have a good block of time when we let Hope jump, because it is so hard to get her off!

In March, Hope also returned to the International Adoption Clinic for a follow-up. She is almost on the growth chart! Spring Break brought our first beach trip with Hope. Even though the weather was cold and windy, Hope enjoyed the sand and waves washing over her feet. She acted as if she had been visiting the beach every day of her life. She reminded us a crab crawling all over the beach. She also went on her first bike ride on the back of Andy’s bike. She did really well on two long bike rides.

Hope’s adoption story was recently published in a Dothan magazine. Our good friend, Christy Colee, wrote the story that ran in February.

In the past couple of months, she has started to say , “I suv you!” with such meaning and emotion.

It is the sweetest sound. On the beach trip, she started saying, “I suv you guys.” Well of course, we all just melt no matter what she was doing two seconds before that. Her most recent words have been the question “what time is it?” Hope continues to bless us in so many ways and we are so grateful to God for allowing her to become part of our family. We suv you too, Hope!

Christmas and Family!

Dow, Hope, and Beth

What a joy it was to teach Hope about the Christmas story and hear her point to the baby in our Nativity set and say the word, “Jesus.” She had a great Christmas and it was so fun for us to have a “little one” in the family to enjoy all the wonders. She quickly learned who Santa was and how to open presents. As we visited with extended family and good friends over Christmas, I was reminded in a very vivid way of how important these relationships are. By watching Hope interact with others and the outward love that was displayed toward her, I experienced just an overwhelming sense of humility and thankfulness for all the special people in our lives. Family and friends are so important and now Hope is surrounded by them.

Hope’s language continues to develop to the point of putting words together. She is learning at an incredible rate including colors, numbers, and letters. I received an iphone for Christmas and Hope is enjoying learning by using the “baby apps.” Her weight is still so low at 20 lbs. She eats very little but has lots of energy. She doesn’t miss a thing and is very bright as well as tenacious. One of her favorite activities these days is to crawl around on the floor like a dog, panting, and wanting to be petted! Having two dogs in the house provide good examples for her. She has a pair of pink snow boots and usually the first words out of mouth in the morning are “boots on.” She wears them all day everyday. I am afraid her feet will sweat off!

Thanksgiving!

Hope's first hayride

Hope enjoyed Thanksgiving so much. She got to meet new cousins and was so friendly to her extended family. She has definitely settled in to being part of a family and believe me, feels very comfortable in expressing her wants and likes/dislikes. She has gotten very good at asking for juice, milk, etc. and saying no to what she doesn’t want. She is playing and interacting with other children and plays more pretend play. She continues to adore Elmo and animals.

She experienced her first hayride over Thanksgiving as well. She loves being at our farm in Dadeville. She may have a future as a jockey if she continues to loves horses and remains so petite.

We are introducing her to baby Jesus, Santa, and all that is Christmas.

She and I had a little accident involving scissors in which I received 15 stitches in my right index finger. Andy and I spent 5 hrs. in the ER waiting to get my finger stitched. In the meantime, Dow and Beth took over with Hope. Beth got her ready for bed. Dow read to and rocked her and then laid down with her until she was asleep. Beth took over again and slept with her. Andy and I got home at 2:00 am. I was so proud of Dow and Beth!!!

Halloween and Horses!

Immediate attraction to horses!

First 4-wheeler drive

First Halloween

Hope enjoyed her first Halloween and even tolerated her “butterfly” costume well. At the Fall Festival at our church, she saw her first pony. She went a little “nuts.” If you think she looks as if she is crying, she was. However, it wasn’t because she was scared. She cried because she had to wait in line in order to get her turn on the pony. To say she loved riding it is an understatement. She rode a second time and then we tried to redirect her, but she would not cooperate. We had to leave in order to get her to calm down. She didn’t get the “waiting in line” concept. Everyone was teasing us about knowing what Hope would get for Christmas.

Soon after Halloween, we spent a day at the farm, and Hope didn’t hesitate in getting on the 4-wheeler. She loved it. She also enjoyed seeing real live cows and our big horse named Rosie. As you can tell, she looks right at home on Rosie and will ride forever.

Hope got ear tubes on Nov. 12th, so we are looking forward to being infection free and off antibiotics for awhile.

Before and After!

Six months after being home

First day home

Playing in new sandbox

Dedication day at FBC, Montgomery

Dow and Beth getting ready for Sr. Citizen Day

Hope continues to blossom in so many ways. As you can see she has come a long way in five months. I don’t think we realized how much until I took the “after” picture and compared it to the earlier one. Her whole appearance has taken on a complete change. In the past few weeks, her language has just exploded. She is beginning to repeat a lot of what we say and will say please and thank-you when prompted. Of course when she really wants something, she will say please without prompting and it is really hard to say no to her. She is so sweet when she says it.

She is very, very animated in her expressions and has gotten in the habit of say, “Ohhhh,” really loud and dramatically when she sees something exciting. She also puts her hands out and says “go?” when she doesn’t know where something went.

Everyone continues to show such love and interest toward Hope and we are so grateful. From older children to her preschool teachers. One sweet person from our church made a beautiful hand made dress for her. We received the dress in the mail with a simple note welcoming Hope to First Baptist. We had her dedicated in the dress, and she looked like an angel. Her dedication was shared with Ruthie Grace Blakeney who was recently adopted by Dr. Mendy Blakeney. It was a special day with our choir singing “Orphans of God” to a very moving video created by the Portis family.

Hope has been wide open at home since the week she came home. With others and in different settings, she has been quiet and reserved for the most part. In the past few weeks, she has really started to come out of her “shell.” Her preschool teacher said she was doing better, because she was getting into a “little trouble.” She was laughing and sliding in Sunday School and eating green apples. Finally, Hope participated in Kindermusik this week after 10 weeks of attending. It is so fun watching her and seeing her personality develop. Just today, she started blowing kisses with her hand. I wish you all could see her.

She continues to battle ear infections and if we can ever get her well, we plan to have tubes put in. She is on her 6th antibiotic (four for ears). She has gained about three pounds since she has been home. She is eating a little better, but not as good as I think she needs to. We have made a little progress in the area of sleep. I now can sit at the end of the bed and read as long as I hold her foot. She continues to wake up crying every night, and I sleep the rest of the night with her. We will just have to be patient in this area. Thanks again for your continued prayers and concern.

Waves and Kisses!

Hope with Christy!

Hope with Daddy and Great Grandmother

Hope after first spaghetti dinner

Hope with her first sitter, Emily Cheek

Hope loved the water immediately

Hope enjoyed celebrating her first 4th of July at the lake with friends and family. She loves the water now and is fearless. She will play forever just splashing. While she didn’t eat any BBQ, she ate strawberries all day long. She wasn’t even scared of the fireworks. She kept pointing at them and say “ook, ook.”

Hope had her very first sitter other than Dow and Beth. Her name is Emily and she is so good with Hope. Her family is waiting on a referral from China. Emily has sat with Hope three times so far and Hope has done well every time - thanks Emily!

We returned to the International Adoption Clinic this past Wednesday. Hope was given a developmental evaluation and did very well except for speech. I just have to brag a little. The therapist wanted Hope to stack four blocks, but Hope stacked eight blocks!!! We were so proud.

All of her lab work was good. Even the immunizations she had in Moldova were good. This saves her a lot of shots. We will be retesting for the parasite that was discovered earlier, but the doctor feels sure that the antibiotic took care of it. We sure hope so, because Hope absolutely hated that medicine. We had to hold her down three times a day and force it down her. Plus it lowered her appetite considerably. The bad news is that Hope has not gained an ounce since being home. She still weighs 16 and 1/2 lbs. The doctor is concerned about this and gave us weight goals. Hope is very selective in what she eats, so it will not be very easy to reach these goals. Hope also met her great grandmother on Andy’s side (Gigi) today. Hope has two great-grandmothers!

She is saying more words such as apple, ball, and Bet (Beth). However, she understands what we are saying so well. WE can’t believe she has learned so much in such a short time. We are so excited that she has learned to give us a kiss. She still has some work to do in this area, but she has come a long way. She has also learned to wave good-bye. Of course like other two year olds, she will never do it when asked. Yesterday, she experienced butterfly kisses from her Mom and she loved them.

Tonight, we just returned from meeting Phillip Cameron, his wife, and about 14 young ladies from Stella House in Moldova. We were so impressed with all the girls, and they loved meeting Hope. Phillip was so surprised and pleased to discover we adopted from Moldova. He said he could empty the orphanages in Moldova if he could get the government to cooperate. His first words to us were, “how did you do it?” Of course our response was “God!”

Tennis, an Antibiotic and a Two Year Old!

Hope with Matthew and Uncle Stevie

Hope meets Pawpaw Payne

Hope playing with Abbie and Emma

This past week has had its challenges but good times as well. Hope, Beth and I headed to Inverness Country Club last Thursday for a tennis tournament. Beth played at noon! Remember how hot it was? Hope and I found a sliver of shade and Hope entertained herself with sticks and dirt. Andy’s parents were also there. Then the three of us headed to the Galleria to shop. We entertained Hope by feeding her those yummy fries from J. Alexander’s. Thanks to Beth, Hope will always be well dressed and have plenty of clothes. Beth just finds all sorts of “adorable” things for Hope.

Friday was a big day. Hope got to meet her Mimi and Pawpaw Payne, Uncle Bart and his family, and her great grandmother. She also got to see her Aunt JoJo and cousins again. We had such a good visit. Once again, Hope went immediately to my brother but would never let any of the “women folk” hold her! Then it was back to the tennis court in Inverness where Beth won her next two matches to clinch the consolation title. For the first match at 1:30, Andy, Dow, and Andy’s sister, Robin and family, were there. For the last match at 4:30, I was on my own. Hope was tired, hot, and basically miserable. I wasn’t able to watch any of Beth’s match. Overall, she had been a trooper but just reached her breaking point.

Hope started a really strong antibiotic on Saturday and completely stopped eating. In the mean time, Andy and Dow were in Macon, GA for the Boy’s Southern tennis tournament. Monday morning, the girls and I headed to Macon. Dow was still in the tournament and Andy had to be in New Orleans Tuesday morning. Another hotel room! At bedtime, Dow was asleep, so I drove Hope around Mercer University to get her to sleep. Otherwise, she would have screamed and disturbed Dow’s slumber. She still had not eaten anything except for a few fries.

On Tuesday, Hope began refusing her antibiotic and I mean gagging and spitting and slapping. I never knew she was so strong!!! By noon, I had gotten some in her along with apple juice and a few Goldfish. While in the van, waiting on Dow’s next match, I got all of that back. Hope vomited and guess what, I only had some tissues to get it up! Fortunately, Dow had gone to sign in and didn’t have to witness this right before a match in a 100 degree weather. Sadly, Dow lost his match, but we are so proud of how well he played throughout the tournament. There were six southern states involved. Dow was one of 11 from AL. We headed home. Hope did great on the three hour drive home. I tried the medicine again but with no luck. That night, she finally ate something.

I talked to Hope’s doctor and was informed we have no choice but to continue with the antibiotic. Andy returned Wednesday evening and we were able to get two doses down. We are so glad to all be home and together. Hope is now saying “uh-0h” and “Bet” for Beth. We can’t wait for her language and speech to develop.

We are on our way this evening to eat veggies at Chip and Christy Colees. I for one, can’t wait!

Birthday and Other Fun Times!

Hope loves her new rocker

Hope registering her new Build a Bear

Samantha Grace and Hope

Hope turned two!

Hope celebrated her second birthday on June 13th. The celebration was low key. We baked some special cupcakes (given to us by the West family). As you can see in the picture, Hope was not sure about the candles. We took her to Build a Bear where she got a lamb dressed in froggy pj’s . Andy and Beth rode the carousel with her but she refused to ride one of the horses. They settled for the little carriage on the carousel.

Hope also enjoyed her first play date with Samantha Grace Duke. They played well together and enjoyed a grilled cheese for lunch. Hope attended her first bridal tea (Elizabeth Hart) tea last Sunday where she thoroughly enjoyed munching on cheese straws. She went to Sunday School for the first time last Sunday as well. I got a very good report on her. I enjoyed being back in my Sunday School.

She continues to do so well and seems so happy. She loves her family and enjoys giving really big neck hugs. She is keeping us busy. She has added “uh-oh” to her English vocabulary which now brings it up to two words including “cat.” She seems to understand a lot of what we say. Communication hasn’t really been a problem. As two year olds go, she is pretty easy. I can’t imagine adopting a child with issues or medical problems. My admiration for those who have has gone even to a higher level.

Life with a Two Year Old!

First boat ride

Our family with our pastor, Jay Wolf

Hope meets Mimi Carole

Hope meets Pawpaw Tony

Hope meets cousins, Abbie and Emma

Big brother, Dow, swinging his new sister

Oh, how I forgot the demands of a two year old! Life has been very busy at the Birchfield house since returning from Moldova. We took Hope to the International Adoption Clinic in B’ham on June 3rd. The doctor and the family therapist both thought Hope was doing well. She did have a really bad cold and possible ear infections. She had the lovely experience of having her ears cleaned out by the doctor. They had to draw blood from her arm to test for a lot of different things. We will get the results when we return on July 8th. We now need to see a pediatric audiologist and ophthalmologist just as a precautionary measure.

Hope enjoyed her first boat ride this weekend. She loved it and didn’t even mind the dreaded life jacket. She was all over the boat and liked to stand up and feel the wind. She also met one set of grandparents, Mimi and Pawpaw Tony. They brought her surprises from their mission trip to Costa Rico. Last Sunday night, she made her first appearance at church and met her sweet pastor and many other friends who had been praying for her. We plan to experiment with Sunday School soon. This past Sunday she met some more cousins, Amy, Abbie, and Emma, and her aunt Joanna.

Hope continues to adjust very well. She is getting much more selective with her eating, so we are sticking to a few favorites right now. She loves books and just jabbers as she looks at the pages. She was pretending to feed a doll with a spoon today. Like most two year olds, she wants every electronic item in our possession. This has caused a few “little tantrums.” We are still working on our sleep schedule. She hates being left alone and really doesn’t understand the meaning of “just a minute!” She likes the challenge of climbing up in chairs and on sofas, because she has never gotten to do this before. We are having a little trouble with biting, hitting , and throwing, but overall, she has a very sweet temperament.

Life at Home!

Hope meets Chip!

Great American Cookie Co. - yum

First time at Moe's

Eating her first curly fry

We have been busy since waking up Thursday morning. Hope has adjusted better than we ever imagined. On Thursday, she met her brother, Dow. Unfortunately, Dow has been sick and didn’t get to spend much one on one time with her. However, she was so comfortable with him just like she knew he was her big brother. We went to Target, Walmart, Moes (where she enjoyed her first cheese quesadilla), and then to the ball field. Hope enjoys seeing and experiencing everything and constantly points and makes a sound which we think is “look.” She made a new friend on Thursday - Chip Colee. She likes her “Uncle Chip” a lot! I think the feeling is mutual.

She likes the dogs but they are not so crazy about her. Casey does like to lick her in the face! Hope is not so sure about that. She continues to hate getting a bath and going to sleep. Sleep is really the only issue we are having. We can deal with the baths, because they are so short, but the sleep is a little more challenging.

Beth has just taken over with Hope just like Hope is a real live doll. Beth is having a ball with her and Hope loves her big sister. Beth even painted Hope’s toenails bright pink. I told Beth I may need to homeschool her in the fall, because I will be so spoiled by all of her help.

On Friday, we took her to the pool in our neighborhood. She did not like it at all and wouldn’t even let Beth put her feet in the water, but she sure looked cute in her bathing suit! All of the clothes and diapers we had for her were too large. Even some 12 mos. clothes are too big. Her appetite continues to be great. She had her first fry at the pool and was quickly looking for her second. She gets so excited when she sees a banana and you cant eat in front of her without sharing.

She was glad to see her Daddy when he got home from N.O. She went to her first tennis match FRiday night. I found myself chasing after a two yr. old again. Beth was at a friend’s house. Hope gathered leaves and bottle caps. She got so excited. She also liked seeing her big brother on the tennis court. She got to see “Uncle Chip” again tonight. They definitely cemented their relationship.

On Saturday, she met her cousin, Matthew, and aunt and uncle, Robin and Stevie. She really liked Stevie and went right to him. She still prefers men to women for some reason. I forgot her shoes when we returned to the tennis courts. She went to stand up and didn’t like the grass. She refused to walk on it.

She likes stroller rides, peanut butter, and pens and pencils. She loves to just hold pens and pencils. We are having to baby proof. Fortunately, she does not put things in her mouth. It is hard to believe that just days ago, she was a solemn faced little girl with little stimulation. She laughs out loud now. Today, she saw our cat and said the word “cat” very plainly. We are looking forward to more words in the next few weeks.

As I write this Saturday evening, Dow has started on antibiotics, has won his first round in the tournament, Andy is napping, and Beth has Hope outside. Our house is a wreck, we have dirty sippy cups by the sink, and toys scattered everywhere. Somehow, it just seems all normal. I have to admit that I have been through every emotion on the continuum from “oh, my goodness what have we done” to “this is pure joy.” As Hope continues to struggle with sleep, so do I. I know tiredness has a lot to do with my emotions. Hopefully, in a couple of weeks, we will be in a better sleep pattern. Overall, I couldn’t ask for a better start. She is a joy and it has been a blessing to see another very special side of Dow and Beth.